God Amongst Men
by koala4u
Summary: [s&k] au: As darkness consumes the world, can two unlikely allies overcome such evil against all odds? CHAPTER 5 FINALLY UP (excerpt) Distractedly, he thought about how he seemed to be damning himself a lot since he met her.
1. Prologue

Hello all~ Hopefully someone is reading this story! I've been a member of fanfiction.net since as far back as 2001 yet I have yet to review, and other than one posting years ago, which I have taken down, this is my first contribution to my beloved fanfic community.so, since I've never reviewed any of the stories, I feel I have no right to require that you r/r, too.only if you want to! Comments and critiques are always welcome.I ask only that you try not to be too harsh. Give me and the story a try. Who knows, maybe you'll like it! Bon voyage ;op  
  
Oh yes.I almost forgot the most important part!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi-sama! I'm just borrowing them for my own enjoyment! I'm a poor undergrad student; I have no money, so please, no problems, k?  
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God Amongst Men  
  
.::. Prologue .::.  
  
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Silence.  
  
Amazingly thick silence. It stifled the room with its intensity. A soundless war raged beneath the quiet. Great warriors, all gathered together. No careless shuffling of feet, no unconscious intake of breath dared intrude upon the stagnant air. These brave men, who daily fought for ideals, willing to give their very essence, their souls for an ideal, now cowered before the gravity of a mere syllable, one word that could seal their fates.  
  
"No."  
  
A mere whisper. It hovered above the warlords, ringing within their ears. One second. Two.  
  
The spell broke. Suddenly the whole assembly of men turned to face the last member, obscured in shadows in a corner of the meeting room. The last vote cast, the solitary dissenting voice...  
  
Silence again. Awe-inspired.  
  
Respect infiltrated the room fueling the warriors with courage they believed abandoned them forever. This man refused to be coerced into a deal that would cast the world into shadow despite the very real threat of the loss of everything he had. A great wave of cacophonous murmuring filled the once ominous room with life, with hope.  
  
"Kukuku..."  
  
Silence. Deadly silence.  
  
How did they forget...how could they. The one they sold their souls to, the one they must never defy, the Devil himself.  
  
"Intriguing. Have you no respect for your superiors, _my lord_? I thought nobles born with diplomacy...I find you sadly lacking; however..."  
  
Golden eyes narrowed, locked-in, and targeted the pest. 'Naraku.' A low growl, so savage with rage and hatred it went unheard by everyone except the one it was intended, the manipulator.  
  
The omnipotent tyrant had the gall to smirk in triumph.  
  
"...however, I am willing to overlook this slight lapse in judgment and manners should you reconsider your decision..." Naraku's emotionless voice continued. There was no need for emotion when the lack thereof was more effective in delivering the message. The unspoken hung heavily between the two men.  
  
'Disobey. Come, let me have my fun. See what destruction you have caused, those you hold dear, those you protect, your family, your home, your lands, your honor, even your name shall witness ruin. Yes, yes, yes...let me torment you. Let us play.'  
  
'Bastard.'  
  
"Very well."  
  
Naraku's smirk disappeared, the first sign of weakness.  
  
"I will lead your legion of men. I shall help you all to hell." His voice equally inflectionless. He would not give Naraku the upper hand. Damn his soul to the very core of the Earth, he would see this vile creature's defeat. He would learn, all would realize the greatness of the Lord of the West. Even Naraku, especially him. 'I am controlled by none. The bastard shall fall...by my hands.'  
  
Naraku's sneer reappeared with this last statement. "Let the games begin."  
  
Sesshoumaru's response, the frosting over of golden eyes to an icy, hard yellow, speckled with silver. Just as intimidating. He stood and gracefully walked out of the room.  
  
All eyes followed the movement, some with pity, some with hatred, some with poorly disguised admiration, yet all with despair. That is all, except the glittering crimson eyes, narrowed with the promise of danger. It was so much more fun to play with his prey before squashing it beneath his heel. 'Sesshoumaru will fall, but first I shall have fun.'  
  
As the heavy oak doors closed in upon the remaining men, they knew the time had come. A new era they helped to create, full of war, strife, greed, hate, loss...how they longed for the freedom they just witnessed.  
  
Naraku's reign has begun.  
  
Unmindful of these dreadful events, despite the dawning apocalypse, the sun rose.  
  
A new day...a new world.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The sun slowly peaked over the green mountains. Slowly, in all its brilliant splendor, it dispersed the last clinging darkness that lingered over the emerald valley. As the sun cast it's beaming glory over the picturesque countryside, the valley appeared to come alive. The lovely, blooming flower fields blossomed under the warm, loving caress of the sun rays, offering up their wonderful colors and perfumes in the crisp spring morning air. Thriving fields abundant with foliage abounded with wildlife as evidenced by the first chirp of welcome, soon joined by rustling and more chirps of thanks to the golden god above.  
  
A cheerful tune drifted with the wind as an equally upbeat girl appeared outside. Exiting the cozy hut at the very edge of the valley, the woman- child, for upon closer inspection that's what she is, began her daily chores with such youthful energy and good will that even the most menial tasks she performed seemed interesting and fun.  
  
As she headed toward the stream a few minutes walk into the surrounding woods, the forest seemed to stir, gently welcoming her into its embrace as if she were a most precious and prized treasure. She always felt calm, peaceful within these woods...as she should. These were her friends, her companions from her earliest memories. She felt as though these trees understood her thoughts, her feelings.  
  
'It has been so long since the last person who truly understood me left. Oh how I miss him...but I must not think of it, he is gone, will never return. Why is it that I must lose one so dearly beloved? It is unfair. I don't ask for much...No! I won't dwell on this, it is too pretty a day to waste wallowing in sorrow and self-pity.'  
  
The woman-child dispelled the depressing trek her mind seemed prone to wander today with a firm shake of her head. Thus cleared of further depressing thoughts, she felt once more at peace for the woods seemed to comfort her and coax her from her distress. As she approached her destination, the girl felt absolutely blissful looking upon the sparkling stream that seemed to dance before her, flowing down and away from her sight through the sun-dappled flora.  
  
'Heaven.'  
  
"KA-GO-ME!!!!!!!!"  
  
'Or not.' The girl attempted to hurriedly fill the two pales with the cool mountain spring water and head to safety. Unfortunately, in her haste, her foot snagged upon an unseen root that protruded from the ground. She went hurtling forward only to land in wetness.  
  
'At least I dropped the buckets upright this time and won't have to refill them'...with this last thought she resigned herself to the inevitable. Soon, a lively, enthusiastic young man appeared at the water's edge.  
  
"Kagome! I found you! I thought we were going to get the water together this time and then we could...why are you in there? OH! I am so sorry I didn't realize that you were in the middle of bathing otherwise I wouldn't have come but you should have just told me the truth that you were intending to bathe that is why you were reluctant last night but I just thought that you were being shy and didn't understand what you were trying to tell me I am so sorry I feel so stupid and embarrassed but you are probably more embarrassed than I am so I shouldn't complain I just wish that - "  
  
"That's okay Hojo. I wasn't really bathing; I accidentally fell into the stream when I tripped," Kagome laughingly interrupted the boy's one-man conversation. 'Even though he gets annoying at times, he is just too cute!' "Could you run back to the village and get me a spare set of clothes? Mama will kill me if I go home soaking wet once again..."  
  
"Sure, no problem...don't you worry! I'll be back in a jiffy!" With that the clueless youth bounced off in the direction of the village, happy to be of use to the sweet, kindhearted girl he adored.  
  
Kagome almost felt guilty sending him off with that excuse, but she really felt the need to be by herself today, to just relax and enjoy the nature around her. 'I'll make it up to him this afternoon.' Content and appeased with that thought, she slowly picked herself out of the water and wandered further into the forest to seek her secret base.  
  
Once she reached her intended destination, she walked to the center of the clearing and flopped down upon one wooden side of the dry well. Glancing around at the wildflowers irregularly dispersed with the soft green grass and clovers covering most of the ground, the beautifully ancient trees surrounding the area, hiding it from unwanted guests, Kagome once again sighed at the majesty of nature. 'Surely this is the most beautiful spot in the whole valley, much prettier than the man-made gardens, which are much too tame. It's sad that the villagers miss out on such splendor because of silly superstition. Oh well, this way I get to keep the place for myself. Curses and mysterious powers, ha, as if.' The cynical girl scoffed at the idea that her hideout could be even remotely evil. Sighing in contentment, Kagome slowly breathed in the sweet smell of wildflowers that seemed to surround her and reached into the shallow bottom of the dry well for her hidden treasure; her hand emerged with a book in tow. Bathing in the warmth of the sun, with the endless blue sky above and the soft soil beneath, Kagome leisurely read her book with pleasure until she drifted off to a peaceful slumber.  
  
When she awoke, the sun was high in the sky. Scrambling to her feet, Kagome rushed back to the stream, changed into the clothes Hojo must have left for her upon returning and finding her missing, picked up her two buckets, and tread home. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it was just too good to pass up.  
  
As she entered the hut, she opened her mouth to apologize to her mother for not having finished her morning chores, when she noticed that no one was there. Walking back outside, Kagome decided to head to the village. As she approached, she paused as a very unnatural wave of foreboding washed over her. Nearing the town square, she saw all the inhabitants gathered there with a gloom and quiet that seemed to engulf everything in deathly dejection. Walking to the rear of the crowd, she was about the ask Sasaki- obasan, the town gossip who happened to be standing beside her, what was going on.  
  
That's when she saw it. Everything went still as she stared at the black cloth hanging above the scaffolding of the town center. The day she dreaded and hoped would never be had come. The end, judgment was approaching, and her happy life had just been thrown into complete and utter destruction.  
  
All that she had ever known came to an end at the sight of the hated cloth, a symbol of an approaching darkness so all encompassing that the world would cease to exist.  
  
'No. This wasn't supposed to happen. No. No. No. Nonononono.' The revulsion rang in her head for an agonizing length of time.  
  
But she would not submit...and eyes that were a dull and defeated blue-gray sparked to life and seemed to glow a mesmerizing sapphire lit from the depths of the soul with fierce determination and hope. Had the townspeople turned to look at the girl at that moment of epiphany, they would have sworn an avenging goddess had descended to deliver them from darkness, stunning and breathtaking in her passionate devotion to proffering salvation.  
  
Kagome would see the world happy and gay with life as it was this morning against all odds, she would deliver her loved ones from shadows herself.  
  
~*~ end prologue ~*~ 


	2. Thus, They Meet

a/n: Hi! I'm back and really happy with all the wonderful responses I got for my story. Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to review and leave comments. It really made my day! Hope this meets everyone's expectations~ On a side note, I was wondering if anyone knew how to load a story so that all the formatting (i.e.: italics, bold, etc.) shows up? I was kind of disappointed that they didn't show up in the prologue, so I went back and used single quotes for thoughts.but I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me how to format my stories. Thanks! ~koala-chan ;op  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inu-Yasha!  
  
" . " dialogue  
  
' . ' thoughts  
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God Amongst Men  
  
.::.Chapter One: Thus, They Meet.::.  
  
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Naraku leered from his perch upon the top of his keep. With his castle as the epicenter, devastation spread all around...as far as the eye could see and beyond.  
  
"Kukuku..." a deeply self-satisfied, resonating chuckle, seductive in timbre yet so evil in undertone not even the purest of hearts could be ignorant of its malice.  
  
'Who could resist gloating at a success so utterly complete? All that is left are the few scattered resistance factions that will easily be trampled now that the _great ones_ have fallen. All, that is, except Sesshoumaru...' Scarlet orbs hardened. 'It matters little. While problematic, he is a hairsbreadth from collapse. Soon...very soon, the entire world shall consider Naraku a name to be feared. They will dread it. Naraku shall be _GOD_ unto them.'  
  
While immersed in such strains of thought, Naraku failed to notice the sudden drop in atmosphere around him as narrow, icy azure eyes burned into the back of his head. A figure, at the top of the stairwell he had just crested, stood in deliberation.  
  
Should he attempt to overthrow the Lord? The perfect opportunity lay before him...his frosty eyes quickly surveyed the roof of the keep...not a soul...before flicking back to the source of his misery, only to find crimson eyes fixed upon his own, no less dangerous notwithstanding the amusement dancing on the surface for it failed to touch the emptiness within.  
  
"Kouga," stated smoothly and steadily...cold, calculated. 'Planning my demise...I expected no less.'  
  
"Naraku-sama..."  
  
Kouga stood upon a pinnacle. He could save his soul with this information.  
  
He felt the weight of blood red eyes resting upon him, scrutinizing his every miniscule action even as it quite testily said 'well, what is it.'  
  
"It appears a faction in the West is building enough strength that help has be requested by the General there."  
  
And a soul cried out in anguish...Then again, the information could damn him to hell for eternity.  
  
As always, Kouga picked the sharp edge of the blade. Even as he felt the sharp blow to his abdomen and the cold hard stones rattling his bones as he fell to the floor, he could not regret his decision...after all, there was never any hope, so it mattered little whether he reported the information or withheld it.  
  
"Take your pathetic pack of men and demolish the fools who dare to oppose me; however, bring the leader back to me alive. I want to see him squirm at my feet before I crush him."  
  
Kouga took his leave before Naraku changed his mind and forbid his men freedom from his presence, even if for only a few measly months.  
  
Naraku remained upon the roof of the keep for an indefinite amount of time. After his first rage, he began to like the situation. It presented a chance to let his sadistic side show itself to his slaves, a perfect opportunity to make an example of all those who even contemplate revolt. This rebel should feel honored that Naraku acknowledges him. Now all he had to do was await his arrival.  
  
A sick, vicious twisting of the lips revealed Naraku's pleasure.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The man sauntered down the hall, exuding an image of peace, even as conflict raged and burned beneath his skin's surface.  
  
It had begun mere months before and yet the end seemed fast approaching. His life took a drastic turn the day he defied chaos and pandemonium in favor of hope and peace...and now the fruits of his actions have begun to flourish.  
  
His lands torn apart by strife, where starvation and disease prevailed throughout the terrain. An endless cycle of wars, death, blood, and yet more wars. His army depleted to the point where only a few barracks remained, barely enough to safeguard his castle and the little patch of green still alive enough to call land immediately within the vicinity of his home. This was all that remained of his glorious lands, all that was left him in Naraku's wake.  
  
'Perhaps he is a God. Who would have thought that the insect could have devised something so effective. Such devastation should have taken well over half a year to achieve. Those worthless cowards. Could they not see he was bluffing? Fools. Without manpower or force behind his threats, Naraku would have no way to destroy all the warlords before he would be killed himself. It can't be helped, I'm surrounded by incompetent imbeciles.'  
  
Sesshoumaru almost sighed before catching his worthless servant peaking around the corner. It would not do to reveal weakness before anyone, especially the groveling servant around the bend who he wished to avoid. Unfortunately, in hard times, he could ill afford overlooking the smallest detail. It could not be helped.  
  
"Jaken," a rich, deep voice quietly commanded.  
  
'Sesshoumaru-sama is so AMAZING! He could sense me even though I hid myself so well, almost as if he has supernatural powers! I'm the luckiest servant in the world to be able to serve my great lord.'  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. This lowly servant Jaken is sorry to interrupt your infinitely more pressing and superior musings. If it were up to Jaken, he would not bother Sesshoumaru-sama with such trivial matters. It's quite a waste of time, really, the presumptuous villagers..."  
  
Vacant gold eyes flickered to his servant before returning to the gardens below. It was enough. Jaken shivered with the thought of having displeased his Lord.  
  
"A letter has come from the southernmost border of Sesshoumaru-sama's land, at least it used to be before Nar..." Quickly clearing his throat when dull yellow once again pressed into him, Jaken pressed on. "A rebellion against Naraku gains foothold in the valley there. It has had extraordinary ability in keeping from being obliterated since the invasion, in spite of the fact that it is a small, diminutive village. They suspect Naraku plans to crush their village once and for all now that the northern lands have fallen. Thus, they request that Sesshoumaru-sama assist them."  
  
'Jaken has his moments after all.'  
  
Sesshoumaru made no visible response.  
  
Jaken plowed onward. "Jaken knew Sesshoumaru-sama would be offended by such forwardness, so Jaken will take the liberty to reject the - "  
  
'Thought too soon.'  
  
"Where is that worthless half-brother of mine?" the lord queried disinterestedly.  
  
"This humble Jaken believes Inuyasha-sama remains at the village 10 miles East of the castle, helping with the rebellion there."  
  
Sesshoumaru remained passively gazing upon what seemed to be the little color lingering in his world. Even his garden seemed to rally at the thought of resistance. An unidentifiable emotion took sudden reign within the Lord of the West, inexplicably filling him with a restlessness to be active. For the first time in two months, since the last portion of his land had been taken, Sesshoumaru sought to leave his fort. 'I must meet the leader of this faction at once. Perhaps he holds some secret knowledge of Naraku's weaknesses. How else could an insignificant village defy Naraku's endless forces for so long...Yes, an alliance is in order.'  
  
"Make preparations for my departure. Gather all available men not needed for the safety of the castle, and inform them of our destination for the village of..."  
  
"...the village has no name, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
"...the village to the South, then." 'It will not do to thin out the forces so much. Inuyasha is fighting a lost cause in the East. They will be defeated within the fortnight.' "Dispatch a messenger to Inuyasha immediately. Tell him to pull out and meet me at the village to the south by the end of the week."  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama, what of the eastern village - "  
  
For the third time that day, Sesshoumaru fixed his eyes upon his loyal servant; this time, annoyance reflected through gold, daring his servant to question his decision.  
  
"Sacrifices must be made."  
  
Within the hour the Western Lord departed from behind the safety of his castle with two dozen men, heading toward that inexpressible but almost tangible *something* looming in the South.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome surveyed the surrounding area from high above the ground. For the past two days she clambered up the tallest tree in her safe haven in hopes of being the first to spot the reinforcements she knew would come, and thus be the first to bring the village the uplifting news. They had to come. The Lord could not be so cruel as to see suffering without wishing to alleviate it. Her own personal philosophy. In her naiveté she applied it to the world in general, excepting Naraku.  
  
It is truly amazing how her certainty of approaching assistance never wavered even amidst the drooping spirits and skeptical attitudes of others all around her. The girl had an inner strength that nobody expected. They used to view her as silly, an average girl. Yet, that day six months ago, a fire was lit within her that refused to die out, so strong it pulled the entire village with her in her will to live. How the inhabitants now rejoice at her existence.  
  
'Where are they? It has been 10 days since the letter was sent. It takes 4 days to travel there, and 4 more to travel back. That makes 8. They should have arrived two days ago. I hope no calamity has befallen them...It is harsh times indeed when even warriors must fear for their lives whilst traversing across their homeland.'  
  
Looking down upon her beloved clearing where very little had changed since that fateful day, Kagome could not help but reflect over what had changed in the past six-months, a lifetime before.  
  
She remembered her sudden, fierce will to fight, to live; yet immediately after determining not to take condemnation without putting up a proper fight, she puzzled over *what* she could possibly do.  
  
After finally overcoming her shock, Kagome continued to search for her family. Once she found them, they all quietly meandered home, drawing upon each other for strength and support. Entering the hut, Kagome watched her grandfather, usually so lively and full of energy, excuse himself and trudge tiredly toward his room in the back of the hut, aging a decade with each step he took. Even Souta, her younger brother of ten who should not have known the plagues of the world for another half decade, seemed irrevocably weighed down as he went outside to finish watering the vegetable garden.  
  
Then, alone with her mother in the comfort of their hut, two generations of women remained soundlessly standing, unable to move, unwilling to acknowledge what the other must surely be thinking. Inevitably, they fell together comforting and comforted in the same breath.  
  
Kagome knew the pain of her mother. For she knew the same loss. The one person who understood all her hopes, all her ideals and agreed with her optimism and outlook on life...the one who held her at night, gently rocking her to sleep, whispering of fairy tales and happily ever after. Her father. He sacrificed everything to protect her dreams, to make them reality. She felt safe just being within his vicinity.  
  
He left one ominous day with his best friend, Kaoru-san, a wayward but kindhearted monk, on a mission to defeat a rising warlord known for his cruelty. Not even his body came back. Only a short letter, written by Kaoru-san moments before his own death. News of his death came as a shock to the Higurashis. To make it worse, they had not succeeded in defeating the foe, only in setting him back for a few years.  
  
Being not yet seven at the time, Kagome had not understood it all; however, her mother's gravity had been enough to alarm the child that all was not right, never would be completely well again. Understanding came much later with time and maturity. With comprehension, came a constant apprehension against the time the hated warlord would rise to power because Kagome knew she would be incapable of sitting still and allowing that to happen. She would complete her father's task if it came to it.  
  
That was over ten years ago, and the horror that her father had died to prevent had begun its raid.  
  
After weeping all the pain and frustration out of their system, Kagome and Higurashi-san helped each other up. They reached a tacit agreement.  
  
'I have to _do_ something, Mama. I cannot just stand by and let papa's life blood go to waste.'  
  
'Then, whatever it is, I will help you achieve it.'  
  
When Grandpa and Souta were informed of the plan to rebel against Naraku, both perked up immediately, pronouncing that they would banish the evil being that was Naraku. They appeared so amazingly similar, that the question of Souta's long puzzled over features became evident to Kagome and her mother. 'That's where he gets it from.'  
  
For the next month the Higurashis rallied the village, brought back the will to fight for life, organized committees needed to make preparations for defense, and kept the people so busy they had no time to stop, think, and get discouraged. Everyone did what they could...probably the closest any society has ever come to achieving utopia, ironic considering the approaching violence and war.  
  
When the troops appeared and the battles begun, they were prepared. They fought against defeat tooth and nail. Yet with the rapidly depleting resources and fast reducing manpower, failure seemed eminent.  
  
Only Kagome retained any semblance of faith. When the outcome was irrevocably in favor of Naraku's minions, Kagome jumped into battle with an animalistic ferocity and through sheer willpower, she survived. Though contributing little to the battle itself, she accomplished her purpose. The men rallied at witnessing such courage, and found the courage within themselves, thus enabling them to turn the tide.  
  
Kagome grasped that spirit and drive were just as important if not more so than force. From that point on, she held daily events to uplift the people's spirits and remind them what they were fighting for, the right to lead their own lives. And it worked. At least until the last raid. Naraku was becoming more vicious with time, thus leading to the current situation.  
  
'I guess you _do_ need brawn.' A sudden glimmer jolted Kagome out of her inner musings. Fixing her eyes to the north, she squinted through the flashes of sunlight reflecting off metal as she recognized the emblem of the Western Lord, nothing was ever more beautiful to her eyes then the white flag bearing the indigo crescent and four crimson slashes in each corner, waving majestically in the caressing wind. Kagome started at how close the Company had gotten while she had been sifting through her mind. 'They came! They're here!' The reality of it froze her.  
  
Then, in a flurry of movement, Kagome scrambled down the trunk and landed at the bottom with feline grace as she sprinted for the village. Her joy was so all consuming that just one look was all it took for the villagers to understand. Even as she stuttered with her words, out of breath from her invigorating run, the people rejoiced at their salvation, and prepared to receive the men who came so valiantly to their aide.  
  
The whole town was quickly gathered and excitedly awaited the arrival of experienced fighters. As the procession came into view, many gasped at the splendor of the armor and weaponry carried. A general murmur now began and spread throughout the crowd that the Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru himself, had come.  
  
Marching through the ragtag group of villagers, Sesshoumaru wondered how such simple, provincial, common farmers fended off Naraku for six months. The leader must be a great strategist. Turning his head in disgust at the openly gaping crowd and the quite rude "oohs" and "aahs" ejaculated by the uncivilized heathen, he attempted to ignore the people. Yet he could not help but secretly covet their ignorance that allowed them to enjoy life even in the middle of war, for although dirty and rough, they brimmed full of vigor and animation. Sesshoumaru failed to realize it had little to do with ignorance.  
  
The group stopped at the town center. Sesshoumaru turned to the nearest inhabitant.  
  
"Who is the man in charge." It was an order.  
  
While everyone else's enthusiasm seemed to rocket through the roof, Kagome felt her own faith wavering as anger rose with each action committed by the *Great Lord.* How could the people stand such arrogance? Her pores felt clogged with it radiating off of the Lord in waves. These men were supposed to be kind, respectable. They seemed little more than savages. And would it kill the man to be more polite in a town he was visiting. And what was with the facial expression, or lack thereof to be more precise...'for heaven's sake I haven't even officially met the man, and I already find him insufferable.'  
  
"The village elder is the man in charge, but - " one of the villagers eagerly provided and was just as abruptly cut off.  
  
"I will speak to him at once."  
  
"I am the village elder, Sesshoumaru-sama. Higurashi Shun at your service...you may call me Hi-ojii as everyone else - " Kagome watched as Grandpa stepped forward, unfazed by the unbearable man, only to be cut off as his fellow villager was, with no regard to etiquette or respect.  
  
"You have led this faction?"  
  
Though toneless, Kagome could not help but feel the Lord was scoffing at the old man. 'Don't just take that lying down, Grandpa! Come on, show him what your made of!'  
  
"Oh, of course not, an old fogie like me? Hahaha! That's the joke of the century. If you want the faction leader, _she_ is right there."  
  
Kagome applauded her grandfather's treatment of the Western Lord, as if he were just another villager. She was sure he would be offended. She smirked, until she saw just whom her grandpa pointed out to the Lord. Looking behind her, she realized everybody had parted so that she remained standing alone, her own little oasis.  
  
'Oh God No! Grandpa...'  
  
Although honored and abashed, Kagome felt no claim to the title. She believed they had gotten where they were through teamwork, with each pulling their own weight. The fact that there was no leader is what gave them success. Kagome searched the crowd for some help or denial of Grandpa's assertion only to find all in agreement, alternately nodding, smiling, and congratulating her as she focused beseechingly upon them.  
  
'Waitaminute. Mama! You agree to this? You knew what he was planning...' Sudden awareness never hit Kagome so hard. She went reeling with the backlash of it. 'Face it, Kagome, they all had this planned. Well, there's nothing for it but to show how touched I am by the gesture and make the best of it.'  
  
Kagome snapped herself back to reality as she felt something searing into her forehead. As she rose her eyes, they locked onto empty gold with just a hint of a spark. Amusement.  
  
"You are the one in charge, woman." Clearly amused disbelief.  
  
How dare he mock her. But she mustn't let her temper run away with her. Mama always said that she should learn to control her temper. Her fuse was always abnormally short, quick to explode, but equally quick to calm down. She straightened to her full height before calmly stating "Welcome to our village, Sesshoumaru...sama. We have prepared living quarters and the like in anticipation of your arrival. As the leader of our resistance group I, Higurashi Kagome, thank you for your swift assistance, as requested. We will cooperate fully with your men in any way possible so long as we eradicate the impending threat."  
  
Kagome pat herself on the back for her excellent control.  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes, had anyone been carefully monitoring, narrowed a fraction of a millimeter. Who did the wench think she was, voicing his name with such impertinence. The nerve of the girl. As if a woman of any sort, let alone this _child_, giving her a quick once over, average in every aspect, could ward off Naraku, succeeding where even _he_ encountered difficulty. Who did these simpletons think he was? And just why was he getting so worked up. It mattered little what they did. He was only here for one thing.  
  
'Very well, I will continue this charade until I can determine the true leader; that is who I am here for.'  
  
"My men shall require food and drink before they retire early for the night, having traveled for six days at a taxing pace. I trust you have enough manpower to protect the village at least until daybreak."  
  
"We do."  
  
"It is settled. I shall see Higurashi-san here at dawn to discuss the situation." With that dismissal given, Sesshoumaru turned and strode to one of the tents indicated as living quarters and disappeared within.  
  
Counting to ten, and then fifty, Kagome pasted a brilliant smile upon her face before pivoting in the opposite direction to face the remaining men and assist them in their needs. Casually avoiding an errant hand, one thought echoed through her otherwise blank mind.  
  
'This is gonna be Hell.'  
  
~*~ end chapter one: thus, they meet ~*~ 


	3. Hope

a/n: Wah! This update is a lot later than I intended because life got in the way; I'm sure that you all know what I mean. Anyway, thank you to all my reviewers for the encouraging and kind comments! It really helps motivate me to keep writing even when I just get so frustrated because my muse decided to go on indefinite vacation. I really wasn't very satisfied with Chapter 1 and want to rewrite it at some point...but until then, I hope Chapter 2 was worth the wait! Also, I changed the rating to PG-13 to be on the safe side for some gory descriptions. Hopefully I toned it down enough so that you guys won't be uncomfortable. Again, sorry that the update took so long, and I hope I didn't lose any readers just because it took awhile. Chapter 3 is already in the works and I'm hoping to get it posted next week, but I make no guarantees. ~Koala-chan ;op  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story.  
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God Amongst Men  
  
.::.Chapter Two: Hope.::.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A chill North wind assaulted the makeshift camp, slinking into holes, cracks, and crevices invisible to the human eye. A silent watcher in the night. Floating through huts and tents alike, its frosty fingers nipping at everything, stealing warmth from under downy covers, freshly aired in preparation for the coming winter that would prove the harshest in many years, made more so by the discord and petulance of war.  
  
A lone figure remained awake in the early morning darkness, absently contemplating the stars from his nightly post. He drew the thin cloth more tightly around his shoulders as another icy gust of wind assaulted his limbs.  
  
Sighing wistfully as he came out of his reverie, he could not help but wonder at such unnecessary precaution. Nothing ever happened during the night. No idiot would leave the warm softness of a bed in favor of chaos and mayhem. Once again sighing at the thought of his bed, he returned to his mindless survey of the constellations.  
  
A sudden hiss, before the thud, confirming the target had been hit.  
  
The man's last living thought. 'Really, what is so special about the stars.'  
  
He never knew what hit him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
'The stars are so beautiful against the contrasting inky dark backdrop.'  
  
Kagome inhaled the crisp, early morning air as she continued her perusal of the winking heavens above, treading down the path toward her enchanted meadow.  
  
After tossing and turning in bed whilst staring at the empty, blank, viewless ceiling above her bed well into the night, Kagome resolved to stare at something more worthy of interest if she was to lose sleep doing so. Thus, the reason for her early morning stroll through the forest. Even the woods understood her restlessness for they were alive and aflutter with unease.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Looking over her shoulder as twigs snapped to signal an intruder upon her safe harbor, 'Ah, so _that's_ the problem.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The night air was amazingly heavy and stifling, as if it were as dead as the night itself.....soundless and lacking all evidence of the living nocturnal creatures usually easily apparent to one as adept as himself.  
  
Unable to shake the ominous feeling that seemed to oppress him, to plague him, Sesshoumaru heaved himself slowly out of bed. As the tent flap fell back into place, he set out to commit to memory the landscape of the town and its surrounding terrain, which he had the misfortune of lamentably committing himself to save.  
  
Having calmed down at the coarseness he was treated to upon his arrival and annihilated his unreasonable disappointment at finding a regular provincial village instead of the fort-like stronghold he visualized, Sesshoumaru grudgingly acknowledged his deference for the town's unceasing spirit. In defiance of the perilous situation, the townsfolk truly live to the fullest extent attainable to them; the village that seemed rustic and unpolished at the initial viewing proved, upon the Lord's closer inspection, intriguing by the time dusk settled over the surrounding, sprawling countryside.  
  
The charm of an unencumbered market. Merchants and patrons squabbling over prices, none of the over inflation of value nor the senseless hoarding of goods so often common in communities during times of war. The allure of unchecked children frolicking in fields. Laughter rising from all corners, unfettered by fear. Floating free, open, clear upon the breeze.  
  
'An isle of utopia amidst a world of struggle.' The thought emerged unbidden to his mind.  
  
Drawn out of his tent that afternoon by the tinkling laughter that drifted into his ears, Sesshoumaru wandered until he located the source from whence the pleasurable sounds materialized. He found himself overlooking some senseless sport evidently invented for the sole purpose of diverting overly energetic progeny. It was not this nonsensical pastime nor the children's teeming glee that fast held the attention of the Western Lord. No. His scrutiny centered upon the girl in the hub of the commotion.  
  
The wisp of a girl had insulted him. That alone made him detest her, made him resentfully esteem her.  
  
Analyzing her every action as she diverted herself with the childish game, she seemed insignificant, the typical useless female, squandering time instead of doing something productive. Impossible. Such immaturity could not mastermind an immense rising as rumor asserts this town has done.  
  
Frustrated at his utter inability to puzzle out such a simple, country girl, Sesshoumaru took one last look at the pastoral scene painted by the still-cavorting-endlessly-giggling troupe bathed in the warm orange-pink of the setting sun. Starting at the unnoticed length of time he spent perusing the scene, ignoring the irrelevant pang in the depths of his internal organ, buried under layers of facades, he swiveled from the vision and stalked back into the tent, not to surface again for the duration of the day.  
  
Roving about now, he admitted, even if only to himself alone, the woman- child held some strange power. She invaded where least wanted, possessed some ability to command attention. Logic, rationality, and observation likewise told him the girl must hold significant leverage with the townsfolk.  
  
Still, he refused to accept a woman as the leader of the famous and successful rebellion.  
  
He knew.  
  
All women were nothing but sniveling bitches.  
  
So why did he still doubt.  
  
A village with a strange girl who made him suffer uncertainties, made him feel something insubstantial, believed unattainable.  
  
What was it?  
  
No. Not the girl. The girl did nothing. The town did this. Surely it was something about the country or something found in the air that produced this inexplicable feeling of _life_ within him.  
  
Engrossed with his thoughts, Sesshoumaru failed to realize how he stumbled upon a clearing with said leader contained within until her voice broke into his mind, strangely lacking the heat that had been present through the whole of their...confrontation, for lack of a better word, earlier that day.  
  
"My Lord, you are quite the early riser." Almost conversational. Almost.  
  
Despite the lack of derision or any other emotions behind the voice, Sesshoumaru had the inexplicable intuition that he was unwelcome and intruding upon some private tryst of the girl's.  
  
"I am intruding."  
  
The girl looked guilty and anxious at his implication. Perhaps she was cutting some deal with the enemy. Of course. Good for nothing females, they only know how to scheme, plot, and twist things for their own gain.  
  
Refusing to allow such a conniving wench to continue in her deception of the naive villagers, The Great Lord did not budge from the clearing. Even as he decided in favor of catching the girl in her act of betrayal, the wench soon lost any semblance of guilt or unease in favor of indignation. Really, people were always much too easy to read. Counting the seconds until the girl exploded in fury at his foiling her plans, he was mildly surprised when she remained silent. A revelation of some sort took her over and eased the tension in her body.  
  
'She finally accepts defeat.'  
  
He privately smirked. Outward countenance did not so much as twitch.  
  
Kagome remembered the near hiding she narrowly escaped once her mother dragged her home. She understood her mother's anger. She was not usually so blatantly disrespectful even to those she could not stand...It was just something about the Lord. It kept her on edge and wary in his presence...Perhaps her utter inability to sense his thoughts, feelings, intentions. Where her intuition never failed, it failed with him. And so she would be cautious yet not offend where offense could very well be the equivalent of death, not merely her own, but the entire village's as well, should _Sesshoumaru-sama_ revoke his much-needed assistance.  
  
"The night sky is a most wondrous scene." She chose a safe and neutral topic. No response was forthcoming so she pressed on. "My Lord, is it not?"  
  
"It is harsh, cold, unyielding, impersonal." She bit her tongue to avoid the imminent foot in mouth dilemma and to stifle her instantaneous response from pouring forth. But her mind continued of its own accord. 'As are you.....'  
  
She may as well have spoken outright. He understood the glint in her eye and inwardly bristled at the slight while he outwardly remained unfurled. The girl was not fooled; she saw the faint flicker of burning amber before ice once again encased it. How had he known?  
  
'Great, just what the world needs, a mind-reading-ever-stoic-overbearing- pompous Great Lord of the Western Lands. Get your act together, girl; why don't you slaughter the village next time you have an irresistible thought.' Clearing her suddenly dry and scratchy throat, the almost one- sided conversation persisted.  
  
"Do you really find it so? The stars offer nothing but warmth and compassion. They understand people's pain for they shudder and flicker as though they themselves are the ones in pain. Yet, though they waver even to the point of extinction they endure. Unobtrusive, gentle witnesses that speckle the blackness. Tender in the way its light does not invade and conquer as the sun does. Rather the subtle light illuminates only what one wishes to see - " 'What an impractical, silly girl.'  
  
"You squander words." 'The nerve of the arrogant _Jerk_.'  
  
"You hoard them." 'The chit.'  
  
Blazing cobalt clashed against searing gold.  
  
Stillness. A battle of completely contradictory souls ensued.  
  
Both pairs suddenly broke contact to survey the shapeless, shadowed wood looming in the distance. Gazes once again locked, flared with understanding.  
  
A blink later.  
  
Two figures dashed desperately for the village as an alarm began to sound further ahead. The attack had begun.  
  
Tearing into town, warriors, elders, children, and animals alike were in a state of upheaval, panic, disorder.  
  
A mere glance. Comprehension.  
  
The two figures burst into a flurry of action. It would be much later before either one thought to question their extraordinary efficiency in this crisis.  
  
Kagome calmed frazzled nerves resulting from being startled out of the bliss of a peaceful sleep and thrust into the nightmare of violent struggle.  
  
As Kagome helped inhabitants gather their wits and bring them to order, Sesshoumaru barked orders at his men from the makeshift platform of an overturned pail with a cool, controlled efficiency that only came from years of training and experience.  
  
The battle raged seemingly for years before first light finally approached. Hours upon hours of endless struggle, violence, bloodshed with no victor. Naraku's forces had been upon the pinnacle of defeat before reinforcements arrived. Now, as the sun's light timorously crept up the horizon, receding the shadows inch by agonizing inch, almost as if fearing the dawning of madness, the rebels experienced the putrid twang of approaching defeat.  
  
The people's last will to fight slipped toward oblivion with each degree of miniscule lightening of the sky cast by the rising sun's rays.  
  
'Could no one contest against Naraku?' Sesshoumaru's immaculate visage cracked and his sturdy self-assurance fractured under the double burden of impending failure and exhaustion.  
  
Gazing out over the battlefield, Kagome almost retched at the sight of the carnage and gore strewn across the plain. Severed parts, hands, arms, fingers, torsos scattered over the earth. Corpses, impossible to distinguish, identities lost, baptized into afterlife with their own life's essence. The battleground, once a lively green and filled with vibrantly colored flora, now trodden brown with grime, sludge...stained crimson with warriors' blood.  
  
Kagome was anything but squeamish after all the previous skirmishes the town had engaged in, but the sight of the blood soaked battlefield, the worse of all she had seen in the rebellion so far, along with the approaching end to the life she knew and loved, was too bitter a dose for her to swallow.  
  
She would not accept this. She had far too much to lose. Everyone did.  
  
Drawing upon the last reserve of her strength, she painstakingly approached the crude stand Sesshoumaru had earlier used while proficiently giving commands.  
  
She took her time for a deliberate, thorough examination of all the village people and army men alike. Kagome felt her resentment against failure swell as she absorbed the sheer helplessness each conveyed. With the surge in resentment came the determination to persevere until the end, until triumph.  
  
A deep breathe. Two.  
  
Eyes fixed upon the small, diminutive form of the woman, amazed as her stature seemed to grow and expand with every second, with each eye that focused upon her until she encompassed all they sight. Once she felt the last eye fasten upon her, giving full attention out of inquisitiveness, she launched headlong into action.  
  
"Gather yourselves. Take heart."  
  
Each word emphasized by burning azure eyes locking upon each individual as though he was the only one they were meant for, calling his soul from the depths of his dejection.  
  
"We must not lose. We cannot afford to. Will you admit defeat when you have lost your brother, father, husband, son to these monsters? These maniacs wish to seize our freedom under pretense of offering a better, more orderly rule. Yet they create strife and bring death to obtain this goal. We must not submit to such a hypocritical government, nay...let us say tyrant. Let us assert ourselves. We will sweat and toil and die to win back harmony and peace for ourselves, our family, our future. Let them see. We will not hold back. We will never surrender."  
  
This speech, not glossed over with half-truths, neither the grandest nor the most eloquent ever delivered, was the most stirring. Not the words, but the manner of the speaker, overflowing with purpose, with fortitude...with _heart_ touched even the most despairing of minds, conveying to all the willpower to live.  
  
All stood breathless. Awed into mute veneration at the fiery passion shining within clear, cerulean eyes.  
  
Even Sesshoumaru.  
  
Especially him.  
  
That indefinable emotion that constantly eluded him. It built within him with each word uttered into the air, swelling in intensity until it erupted. The realization of it rushed in upon him as he witnessed the rousing, magnificent scene.  
  
Hope.  
  
A battle cry. Then action.  
  
The last rally. One last, frantic attempt. All surged forward. Age, status, gender mattered not for they fought ferociously, side by side, as equals, for their right, their lives.  
  
Daybreak.  
  
~*~ end chapter two: hope ~*~ 


	4. One Step Forward

a/n: Oh my! I'm SO sorry it's been an eternity since I last updated. I hope everyone is still reading this though. Thanks to everyone for their comments and criticisms; they are always welcome. And a special thanks to Keito-chan for actually reading my lame author notes and actually taking the time to respond. Kudos for you! Well, I hope this chapter was worth the wait.  
  
Disclaimer: Star light. Star bright. No matter how I wish tonight...I do not own Inu-Yasha.  
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God Amongst Men  
  
.::.Chapter Three: One Step Forward.::.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was finally over.  
  
They had fought with all the savage anger and pent up frustration stored within from months of repression.  
  
It was not enough.  
  
Laying on the battlefield among his fellow, fallen brethren, icy eyes began to glaze over as final, irrevocable defeat settled within their depths. Reveling in the heat of the late morning sun pounding upon his bloodied, sweat drenched form, he morbidly hoped Hell would be as pleasantly scorching. He anticipated death, welcomed it after such infinite anguish.  
  
Listening to the silence created by the aftermath of battle, he found his tranquility, if only for this brief moment before his passing. The absolute silence reminiscent of that hateful day months and lifetimes before, yet vastly different. Where silence caused turmoil, resentment, hatred then, it now expressed the utmost respect and devastating grief for what had transpired today, for the dead souls. Dead. As he, too, would be soon.  
  
Voices. Scuffling.  
  
The scavenging had begun. He found himself hard pressed to keep still. It mattered not that his men's bodies would be pilfered as their souls were ushered to the hereafter. Or at least it should not have mattered. But it did. Even at death's door he could not leave behind his pride. He never could. It was what got him into this mess in the first place. Yet he continued to stare vacuously at the endless, blue, blue sky.  
  
A sudden shadow obscured the overhead sun's light and cloudless cerulean sky. Shifting his lifeless eyes to the obstruction of his last view of the world, he met another pair of eyes, equally as apathetic.  
  
A warrior's understanding was reached.  
  
"I will kill you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
At least he would get the honorable death he thought denied him by the Fates as punishment for his cowardly dealings. Termination by a foe. He could ask for no better foe.  
  
The sharp sound of a blade unsheathed.  
  
It was all he could ask for.  
  
The glint of light against metal as it descended in a downward arc.  
  
His only regret was his inability to take that bastard with him in his descent to hell.  
  
He closed his eyes in preparation.  
  
A distinctly feminine gasp followed by an abrupt disturbance of the air.  
  
Instinctively he opened his eyes. Only to be greeted by flowing waves of black silk.  
  
"Stop." A rich, fervent voice, gentle in tone yet filled with an undercurrent of amazing strength.  
  
The beautiful blackness spread until it engulfed everything around him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As his eyes skimmed over the vanquished field, he felt that hope, flighty in its first discovery of it, growing in strength and solidarity as the prospect of a successful overthrow appeared ever more probable. His first official, uncontested victory over Naraku. Had he been the expressive type, his face would have been beaming with the fullness of his satisfaction. As it was, not all his legendary stoicism could disguise the unmitigated pleasure he felt within from shining through his eyes, though one would have to be expertly attuned to the minutest detail to catch the glimmer of triumph and comprehend it.  
  
Though one insignificant battle did little to dent Naraku's teeming forces, it sufficiently raised the Western Lord's confidence from the cold, dead ashes to raging, ferocious fires to assist the rebellion ten fold, a crucial victory.  
  
He observed from his perch, unmoved, as his men meticulously scoured the field for surviving allies while leaving and ignoring the supplicating enemies to their fatal place.  
  
A crest the likes of which he could never forget caught his eye. As though inflicting punishment unto his own head, he strode over to the figure displaying the despicable, hated crest. Only by sheer willpower was he then able to escape detection of the disgruntling surprise he felt at the sight beside his feet. Though he had imagined just such a scene, with his greatest foe sprawled helplessly at his feet, he found none of the pleasure he hoped to derive at such a point. Instead, a great and unbearably heavy weight seemed to suddenly descend upon his shoulders.  
  
Once the hated fool's eyes finally focused and fixed upon his own, the unspoken hung between them until he broke the silence. Though mortal enemies now, he nostalgically could not forget the past, and as tribute to this past, pesky companionship, he would allow this one honor of death by enemy weapon. To allow a worthy warrior any such cowardly death by bleeding was inconceivable in his proud, noble breast.  
  
Preparing the final strike, final reconciliation, and unavoidable restoration to camaraderie, a sudden green, ivory, and crimson unintelligible blur passed before him.  
  
An amorphous, misguided mass. It was too late. He could not stop.  
  
The next minute iron clashed, sparks flew.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome had just crested the hill to see of what assistance she could afford the medics and comfort the dying. Upon reaching the top of the small hill, Kagome stopped short at discerning the sight of the dishonorable scene. To see anybody in need passed and avoided as though they were the black plague personified was incorrigible to one with just such a heart as Kagome, despite the fact that these dying warriors were the self-same soldiers attempting to pillage and pilfer her hometown but a few hours before.  
  
Her eye caught silver.  
  
Noting the manner in which his very posture, though ever poised and straight-backed, seemed to radiate his self-approval of the tragic field before him.  
  
Enraged that anyone could gloat over such pain, horror, and death, Kagome started forward to put the arrogant ass in his proper place. Even when he suddenly shifted his weight and paced across the field, Kagome would not be deterred from her just cause. Her approach unnoted, Kagome's ever ready faculties for empathy soon picked up the vein of Sesshoumaru's evidently surprised and almost horrified state. Before she knew what was happening, the stoic quickly and efficiently unsheathed his sword, lifting his sword above his head.  
  
Appalled, though but only imperfectly aware of why, she knew not what possessed her as she darted forth, grasping a fallen, wayward sword in her path.  
  
Sesshoumaru very uncharacteristically hesitated but a split second; it was enough.  
  
The woman threw herself bodily over the prostrate figure and raised her left arm instinctively to block the incoming blow. When the swords collided, Kagome swore the force behind the blow had shattered every inch of both her arm and the sword; however, she miraculously sustained the momentous blow, doubtful whether by miracle or divine intervention. Just when she believed her arm would collapse beneath such brute force, it was suddenly removed. Looking up, she was engulfed in molten gold that seemed to burn through the very depths of her mind. She would not back down.  
  
"You know not what you attempt" came the surprisingly gentle reproach. Had she not known better, she would claim relief dwelt there.  
  
"I save you from a despicable action you would soon repent. You are not in your right mind."  
  
"So I should thank you?" came the biting response. "No woman will ever understand. What could you possibly know of honor when all that occupies your mind is deceit."  
  
"I know there is no such thing as an honorable death. The phrase itself is a paradox. No form of death is honorable. To forfeit forever-coveted life inspires no respect from any sane personage. Only a simpleton could desire honor through such means."  
  
The rising ire provoked by such a scolding from someone so far inferior from himself would have prompted an iceberg to action. Sesshoumaru had not yet progressed so far.  
  
"You are alone in your revulsion toward Martyrdom." Harsh, derisively bit out.  
  
"You talk of martyrs? To me?" Her words conveyed all the bitterness she had kept to herself and the resentment for her father she had denied for so long "Martyrdom conveys no honor. All martyrs are fools for in death they achieve nothing." And she thought of her own father. His death in vain, only prolonging the inevitable and leaving his beloved family to weep and fend for themselves. "They do not reap the benefits of their sacrifice. They leave only mourners for their cause. They bring more loss than had they chosen life. They are cowards who use their ideals as an excuse, a means of escape from a world they are unwilling to handle, incapable of accepting."  
  
There. She had finally said it. Everything she had ever withheld and checked in the presence of others, out of fear and concern for her mother. Everything came pouring out for Sesshoumaru's ears alone. Somehow she felt infinitely better having gotten that off her chest. For someone so reserved, he was an incredible listener. Perhaps he wasn't so bad.  
  
"So you would not die for what you loved?" Mocking, baiting her.  
  
She sighed. Once again she was too hasty in judgment. Would she never learn?  
  
"No." Certain. "Nothing is worth death."  
  
'Then what are you struggling for?' He could not understand. If she did not believe in the cause, why did she subject herself to so much trouble? Why not just give in? And how, Gods, HOW in Heaven's name had she invoked such hope in others, promoted the overthrow of Naraku so successfully with that careless attitude of hers?  
  
As if comprehending his confusion, she responded.  
  
"Just because I won't die for a cause doesn't mean I won't fight for it."  
  
"It is the same." He had never felt so confused. Figures it would be a woman to cause him such headaches.  
  
"It is NOT." She smirked. His brow had furrowed but a second. She had caught a glimpse. "You could not possibly understand."  
  
She dared to mock him, goad him. He bristled with the effort to contain his frustration.  
  
"While this philosophical discussion is quite entertaining, are you not forgetting the initial subject at...foot?" A well-placed glance down here.  
  
Kagome started.  
  
How could she forget? Sure, she was always somewhat absent minded, but she never once became distracted when a person, like the man beside her, desperately needed help.  
  
It was all his fault.  
  
Fixing him with a glare, she began hastily ripping parts of her obi and her kimono sleeves to shreds and administering first aid to the profusely bleeding enemy General.  
  
Sesshoumaru remained a moment, monitoring all the girl's movements before turning and sauntering away. The girl had presence; he'd give her that. Even sitting in the dirt she had defied him, and he had forgotten her inferiority for the brief interval of their spat. He stifled an annoyed grunt.  
  
'Best leave before the chit...'  
  
"Oh, and my Lord, ALL injured shall be assisted."  
  
Damn. She remembered. He would obey no one. Assist the enemy. What a disgrace. He should hope that he had more common sense than that. Much to his chagrin, his mouth did not agree.  
  
"Very well."  
  
Had he looked back, he would have been stunned by the vivacity and brightness of the smile directed his way. Perhaps it is best that he did not for the rebellion would swiftly fall with the leader out of commission.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kouga painstakingly forced himself out of his restless unconsciousness by lifting his hundred ton eyelids. Without cover, a blur of colors and shapes assaulted his fuzzy brain. Sluggishly he focused in on the white that suddenly encompassed his vision. No, not white. Silver. Comprehension.  
  
"I must be in Hell to have to wake to your ugly mug."  
  
"Only one so lacking in mind would believe himself dead whilst still in the realm of the living."  
  
The flap to the hut lifted as sunlight poured within before being shut out just as suddenly as it fell back into place. In it's stead stood a ragged, worn, village girl holding a tray of water and bandages. Her endlessly cerulean eyes held exhaustion and compassion. Kouga had never witnessed anything more enchanting.  
  
"Do not disturb the injured, my Lord."  
  
'Feisty, too.'  
  
"Perhaps he disturbs me."  
  
A stare and a blink.  
  
Had Sesshoumaru just TEASED the girl? Surely not. It had been too many years. He had been out of practice too long to have correctly read that walking puzzle.  
  
"In any case, he stirs because of you, please leave, my Lord."  
  
'She just ordered THE Western Lord.'  
  
The tent flap once again lifted and fell. Sesshoumaru had exited.  
  
'And he just listened.'  
  
Kouga was temporarily incapacitated by shock at the exchange he just witnessed. Pinching himself for good measure, just to be sure, he winced. He decided. He really liked the girl. He glimpsed the momentary fight within her eyes before the fleeting emotion was once again replaced by kindness and compassion, yet her fiery spirit still lurked in their depths. She walked toward him and set the tray down at the bedside.  
  
"Don't mind him. He must've been born with a stick up his - " Kagome gasped as she quickly clapped both hands over her mouth. Face flushing a becomingly lovely shade of cherry red.  
  
Kouga burst out in laughter.  
  
"I know, trust me."  
  
Kagome's eyes widened; that one statement. How did he know...unless...he knew Sesshoumaru before! And somehow, notwithstanding that he was the enemy or that they had fought a life or death battle mere hours ago, she _did_ trust him. Something in his eyes, cold and defeated, yet warm and inviting.  
  
'That is his true self.'  
  
Kagome would wheedle the details of the other revelation out of the pompous nobleman later.  
  
Smiling blindingly at the injured General, Kagome preceded to change his bandages while his cool blue eyes scrutinized her.  
  
"Your men have also been treated; they are in the tent across from this one." She couldn't help blurting out the information Sesshoumaru had specifically ordered to be kept from him. She had to break the silence and that was the first thing she could think of to say. Besides, she saw nothing wrong with relieving the poor man of at least one worry that seemed to weigh down enormously upon his shoulders.  
  
"Thank-you." She truly had that legendary heart of gold everybody talked of but few ever found. 'She'll definitely be a good influence on Sesshoumaru.'  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
He admired her simple yet undeniably graceful way of accepting compliments she knew were her due. None of the embarrassing attempts at false modesty nor the contemptible digging for more compliments. Silence ensued, but not awkward. Kouga thought nothing could be awkward while she was in the area.  
  
Kagome felt very awkward. Instead, she pushed all thoughts out of her mind and exerted herself in her task to make the patient feel better.  
  
"My name is Kagome, by the way."  
  
"I'm Kouga."  
  
As she continued her ministrations, they grew more comfortable in each other's presence. By the time she finished her task, they had become so amiable, their conversation punctuated by so many bursts of laughter as to draw the attention of several tents' occupants within the area.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
'What could possibly be so entertaining and humorous that they could laugh for two hours on end?'  
  
Thoroughly annoyed at such unbecoming behavior, Sesshoumaru resolved to break his silence at the situation.  
  
As Kagome emerged from the makeshift infirmary, she giggled gleefully at Kouga's last anecdote only to halt abruptly at the glowering tower before her.  
  
"Yes, my lord?"  
  
"It is unbecoming for a young lady to be with a young man, alone, for such long periods of time. Furthermore, you are becoming too chummy with the enemy."  
  
'Oh my LORD! Could the man be any stuffier? He sounds just like Ji-chan.'  
  
Whatever reaction Sesshoumaru might have expected at his rebuff, he did not anticipate the loud guffaws that escaped the petite frame before him.  
  
"Did...you...HahaHA...just say, hehe, 'ChuMmY'?"  
  
He was fast learning he could predict nothing from such a spontaneous, brainless girl.  
  
Snort.  
  
Silence.  
  
She had just snorted. He found himself refreshed and strangely invigorated.  
  
"Yes." What was wrong with his diction? In spite of himself, he felt a slight upward tugging at the corner of his left lip. Helpless, a chuckle escaped.  
  
A gasp. Kagome's lips spread even wider in a dazzling display of beautiful, straight, ivory teeth.  
  
Sesshoumaru's breath caught. He told himself it was surprise at his loss of self-control, at hearing his own rusty laugh, anything other than the girl's enticing image as she fairly beamed up at him with a radiance that rivaled the sun.  
  
Clearing his throat in an attempt to regain the cold distance they had maintained since his arrival, he was helpless to return to the impersonal, barely acknowledged tolerance of before. With that one, unjudging, purely humored guffaw, that one slip of his stony facade, a sudden insight, shift, comfort took over the dynamic of their relation, removing all the tension he was helpless to summon back.  
  
Abruptly he stopped, recalling just such another occasion lifetimes ago. When he and Kouga and the Bitch -  
  
His eyes hardened at the memory of his betrayal, their betrayal.  
  
He would not let his guard down.  
  
'Steel.' Kagome's hackles rose at the sight of Sesshoumaru's return to ice- land. But it was too late. She had seen what was under that veneer. A beautiful soul. Just like everyone else. She could not return to her dislike of him. She couldn't even pretend indifference. She knew instinctively. Something had happened to him. Something very painful that made him hide. But he was somehow kindred to her. She would not let him shut himself away and act a coward. He was better than that.  
  
It galled him when she refused to back down, return to mutual contempt. Yes, mutual. He could not possibly despise her without a reciprocal dislike returned. She was just one of those despicably likeable people you wished you could hate because they had everything, understood nothing, lacked nothing yet found you could not hate her no matter what the provocation. So appallingly inexperienced and alarmingly innocent. Impossible to loathe.  
  
"Do not fool yourself into thinking we are on friendly terms now. You cannot befriend someone you do not trust, and all women are deceitful things," he ground out between his teeth. He hated this. A tangle of nerves, emotions...he should not feel so many. He should feel nothing. 'No. This would not answer.'  
  
Kagome seethed. He said it as if he believed it! And he truly did!  
  
"Why do you hate women so much?" She could not hold her tongue. "Past lover left you? Turned bitter?"  
  
Before she could even process the animalistic/feral growl emitted from deep within the man's throat, she found herself pinned to the side of the hut.  
  
"As if I would ever be lured by any bitch." The voice low, dangerous.  
  
Kagome struggled for footing or some purchase away from the strangling hold upon her neck, fingers squeezing her windpipe shut painfully. Spots danced before her vision.  
  
For one terrifying moment, Kagome saw Death.  
  
Suddenly the hand released, without support from the grasp nor her previously dangling feet, Kagome witnessed first hand Newton's Law of Gravity as the ground rose up to receive her.  
  
She remained motionless in the dirt, frozen by fear. Snapping out of it, she prepared to scold the life out of the arrogant Lord. Kagome looked up to find air. He had left.  
  
She let out her breathe and collapsed back onto the welcome earth.  
  
That was too close.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kouga finished gathering and ordering his now scanty troops. Approaching the young woman a few feet away, organizing provisions for the journey, he stood silently by her side. Had he had a heart left, she would have conquered it a thousand times over. As it was, he respected no one more than this tiny slip of a girl he had known but a mere two days. She contained such an enormous store of life within her that she seemed to give it to anything within a five kilometer radius of her person, bringing even the most impossibly injured of his men back to his side, snatching them from the very door of death.  
  
"I think that is everything." The dear, sweet voice he had learned to cherish snapped him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Have a safe journey. Remember, if you need any help..."  
  
"Just write, I know, I know."  
  
'Really, just like a mother hen.'  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to join us?"  
  
Looking deeply into her eyes, he wanted to tell her he would join but for the owner of a pair of golden eyes that seemed to pierce him with their intensity. But he had no right to state anything. This was his damnation. He would have said his hell, but he couldn't possibly be in hell with such an angel beside him.  
  
"No. I'm a lone wolf. Only travel with the pack. But, I'll keep in touch, gather strength. When the time comes, I'll be there, beside you, crushing Naraku beneath the soles of my feet."  
  
"Take care, then, and keep in touch you big oaf." Suddenly pulling him into a bear hug with her back to the village, Kagome failed to notice the appearance of the Western Lord and momentary scowl that flitted across his features upon resting his eyes on the scene.  
  
Kouga, however, did not.  
  
Cool blue met and inferno of silver glinted yellow.  
  
Both recalled the confrontation the day before.  
  
Both defied the other to make this first move. Neither did.  
  
A sexy smirk worked its way onto his features.  
  
Over the head of a not-quite-so-oblivious raven-haired girl, the two men had reached an understanding, a truce, a peace within that split-second collision of wills.  
  
They had taken their first step to reconciliation. To the friendship both were too proud to admit they missed.  
  
Kouga bent his head until his lips were next to one of Kagome's ears.  
  
"Don't worry so much, Kagome, you'll get worry lines. We have formed your precious alliance." He noted the way Sesshoumaru bristled at his proximity, his seemingly intimate overtures toward Kagome. He reveled in them. That block of ice needed a little blood stirring. Kouga deeply inhaled the young woman's pleasant scent just for good measure.  
  
Kagome smiled into Kouga's shoulder before releasing him to his perilous fate. The confirmed alliance made her less hesitant to see him off now that she knew they would maintain contact.  
  
Watching as the meager enemy-turned-ally troops marched into the brilliant mid-morning day, Kagome could not help but think that things were most definitely looking up. They had gained a powerful ally while Naraku had lost said ally. Returning her gaze to the village, dressed in mourning for the passing of many honorable citizens, one thought echoed within her entire frame and filled her eyes with that never ceasing fire that many were beginning to claim heaven-sent, divine.  
  
Their deaths were not and would not be in vain.  
  
She would see this through to the end, starting with this first, decisive step forward.  
  
~*~ end chapter three: one step forward ~*~  
  
a/n: I hope everybody liked the story! Not much of a cliffhanger this time ;op. For those of you who are wondering about the alliance, details will be in the next chapter. Stay tuned! ;op 


	5. Sorry Just Doesn't Cut It

a/n: I am SO SORRY! hehehe...kind of ironic that I started with that when you look at the title for this chapter...anyway, since my last update, I got bombarded with tons of final projects, papers, and finals, so I really didn't have time to update. But now that the semester is over and summer school shouldn't be as hectic, I hope to crank out about a chapter every one to two weeks depending on my life-load. Also, the chapters should be longer. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Hope you like it.  
  
disclaimer: Hold on a minute...let me check...*sigh* Nope, still don't own them, but that doesn't mean I won't play with them. Hiak Hiak Hiak Hiak Hiak ;op  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
God Amongst Men  
  
.::.Chapter Four: Sorry Just Doesn't Cut It.::.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Once again sleep eluded Sesshoumaru as he tossed around on the cot. He could not forget the way that baka had leaned in so cozily, invading the girl's personal space. As if it would matter in the least to the Lord of the West who that backwater wench decided to snuggle up to. He knew it was a mistake to make any deal with that moron. Kouga had been purposely egging him on. And it worked.  
  
It had been late when he retired to his tent last night.  
  
Even with his sharply honed senses, he had failed to sense the approach.  
  
One moment he was alone, the next...that stupid imbecile was in front of him. That annoyingly arrogant, all-knowing smirk plastered against his face. The same self-satisfied smirk that wench seemed to be so taken with. His eyes narrowed to mere slits of gold. He had seen them together earlier, whispering intimately. He expected as much from Kouga, but the chit was much more brazen than he had thought - not that he had thought of her much. However, it was unfortunate that he was forced to retract his given respect for a person, even if it was a woman. It had never happened before. He was usually more accurate with his estimations. A shame that she was born female; she would have made an admirable warrior.  
  
"Ahem." The cough snapped him out of his admittedly shameful contemplations upon a certain ebony headed mystery to focus on his fool of an acquaintance.  
  
He fixed his frostiest glare upon the unwanted intruder, with eyes colder than the arctic. Watching as Kouga reflexively flinched in upon himself in a defensive posture.  
  
A tense stillness descended.  
  
"I did not realize my tent posed such an attraction to insipid fools."  
  
Unbelievably, Sesshoumaru was the one to break the silence. He smirked at the incredulous look etched into Kouga's face. Clueless confusion suited the dimwit.  
  
Kouga continued to stare incredulously at the smug lord. Sesshoumaru was smirking. Whatever had gotten that stick out of his ass was certainly a good thing, or rather he should say good woman.  
  
Sesshoumaru's patience grew thin when Kouga remained dumb. It had been a long, grueling day of reorganizing troops, fortifying defenses, tending the injured, surveying the damage, taking inventory, and restocking supplies. In other words, Sesshoumaru was exhausted and irritable from the tedious day. The fact that Kouga and Kagome had been too distracted with each other to lend a hand did not add to his charitable feelings for the man before him.  
  
"If you have nothing of import to say, I shall be retiring."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll just get straight to the point." A pause. Kouga seemed to be battling with himself whether or not to go on.  
  
Sesshoumaru was intrigued.  
  
Kouga was faced with a dilemma. If he took this next step, he would be admitting defeat, admitting that he had been wrong all those years ago. His pride revolted against such a concession. Kagome couldn't possibly have known the extent of his struggles, the severity of her request, else she would not have voiced her desire. He was knee deep in his conflict between his pride or Kagome's pleasure when Sesshoumaru did the one thing that always provoked Kouga into rash action.  
  
Sesshoumaru lifted his left brow.  
  
He was mocking him.  
  
The decision was cinched.  
  
"I think we should form an alliance." This statement, grit out between his teeth proved unsatisfactory for the lord. He did not respond, merely kept his unnerving gaze steady upon the man. Though of uncommon courage, Kouga fell before the assault.  
  
"Alright already...it wasn't my idea." Suddenly, Kouga slid sly eyes upon Sesshoumaru as he stated his next confession. "It was Kagome's." He carefully noted the spark that darted across the western lord's eyes and filed it away for future reference.  
  
Unreasonably uncomfortable under Kouga's minute scrutiny, Sesshoumaru shook the feeling off. They were finally getting to the heart of the matter. He knew that stupid, meddling bitch could not leave well enough alone. She had approached him before with a similar appeal but relented when he refused to budge from his steadfast refusal of the proposal. Now, she had gotten Kouga to do her bidding.  
  
"You have not learned from your past mistakes, I see." Kouga immediately tensed at the reference. Thoughts briefly fluttering to a certain red-eyed broad. Snapping back to focus on the point at hand, his expression became so grim and stony, he seemed a marble sculpture. As if trampling on his pride were not enough. Noooo~ stupid Sesshoumaru had to go rub it in shit, too.  
  
Sesshoumaru was impressed, the wench must have quite a grasp on Kouga for the pathetic creature not to have attempted to trounce him at once for alluding to the forbidden. Kouga's next sentence reaffirmed this notion.  
  
"Even if it is Kagome's, it's still a good idea."  
  
Sesshoumaru could no longer contain the snide remark.  
  
"Yes, the wench is just bursting with good ideas."  
  
Ah, sarcasm. Now that, Kouga could deal with.  
  
"So you admit it." Though Sesshoumaru displayed no signs, years of practice made Kouga adept in picking up on his confusion. He sniggered. This was getting good. "You're just jealous that she came to me with the idea instead of you. That's why you won't agree. She's wounded your pride."  
  
"There is nothing for me to envy. She came to me first." Insert smirk here. One for Sesshoumaru.  
  
"But I accepted her proposal; I made her happy." Noting another flicker in Sesshoumaru's eyes, Kouga did the supreme internal victory dance. One for Kouga.  
  
Amazing that one girl could bring them together; even arguing was better than the silently impenetrable rift that existed between them for years. Kouga was glad. He began to relax.  
  
Sesshoumaru recognized the loosening in his frame and immediately tensed up. After all that had passed, he refused to accept any relationships other than the purely professional. The years had conditioned him to immediately go into the defensive in such situations.  
  
Despite his lifetime trend of cool deliberation, he responded rashly.  
  
"Do not think that any bitch has any effect upon this Sesshoumaru in any way."  
  
Although Kouga knew Sesshoumaru only fell back to conceited phrasing such as "this Sesshoumaru" when he was the least confident, putting up a front of extreme arrogance to compensate for his uncertainty, he could not keep from firing at the message between the lines. Why did he always have to dredge up the past when they argued?  
  
The tolerant atmosphere that had begun to descend immediately incinerated to dust under the intensity of Kouga's rage. But he had to keep it under tight leash, for Kagome. Kagome, Kagome. He chanted her name as a litany in his mind.  
  
Deciding the direct approach, though painful, was the quickest and wisest course of action, Kouga took the plunge.  
  
"The past, no matter how we both feel, has no place in this discussion. This conversation is purely for the purpose of securing the future. It is imperative that we overthrow Naraku. To do so, we need to augment power, and gain momentum...Which can only be done through teamwork. If you are not man enough to lay aside your pride and personal issues for the sake of the people, then you're no better than the rest of those prissy little lords you despise. Knowing your ever swollen head the way I do, I understand your bitterness and will take no offense...This time. Therefore, the offer still stands. Think about it."  
  
With that, Kouga strode purposefully out of the tent, ushered by the chill wind. The only indication of his rage, the faint trembling of his white- knuckled fists.  
  
Sesshoumaru momentarily saw the image of the past General of his forces, the fierce confidence and devotion to what was right, the straightforward honesty. He would have repined his harshness had he not recalled those very same admirable traits resulting in his ultimate betrayal. Steeling himself, he readied for bed, the only indication of his tumultuous emotions reflected in the lingering regret reflected in yellow orbs.  
  
By the time he got into the cot, he had been as close to a frenzy as was possible for one as controlled and deliberate as Sesshoumaru could possibly be. Despite his fatigue, the Western Lord tossed and turned the rest of the night, unable to gain his much earned repose with all the thoughts floating about in his mind.  
  
And now, even having rid himself of guilt and contention by allying with Kouga, he could not disperse the agitation that clung to him and refused to leave him in peace. Every time his heavy lids fell, he saw HER, them...in that genuine embrace that twisted something buried deep within him. Unfathomable as to what it was, Sesshoumaru remained in this suspended state of unrest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Screeches of torturous pain and desperate pleading saturated the air as the unhappy messenger groveled for his life. Why did he have to draw the short straw? What had he ever done to deserve such agony? The rickety dungeon door swung open as Naraku came in. If they hadn't already been paralyzed, the man's knees would have knocked together before they collapsed in upon themselves beneath him. He felt his stomach drop into his feet as the infamous crimson eyes leveled upon him.  
  
"What rumors I have been hearing. They say you come bearing bad news. You know what they say about bearers of bad news, don't you?" Silence. "DON'T YOU?" A demand.  
  
"n-n-no-o milord."  
  
A deadly grin.  
  
"They're the first to go." A metallic grating noise. Naraku brought his arm across in a horizontal line. The messenger found himself staring at his own decapitated body a split second before his soul left for the hereafter.  
  
Naraku grinned ferally as he stared at the horrified look permanently plastered on the bodiless head. Noting the spray of blood that had splattered across his face and clothes, he pleasurably licked the bloody drops from the rim of his lips. Savoring the salty, metallic tang and putrid scent that engulfed his senses. Flicking the lingering blood off the katana before resheathing it, he stalked to his private chambers and called out.  
  
"Kagura. Kanna."  
  
As if from thin air, two figures appeared before him. A study of contrasts. One - tall, dark, and voluptuously built, fiery and defiant. The other - small, pale, barely a girl, quiet and subdued. Kneeling before him, they maintained their silence, waiting for the orders that were sure to come.  
  
"Kouga has chosen to defect." Crimson eyes vigilantly probed every move the dark haired woman made. Not even a twitch. Good. "I want you to destroy him, Kagura." Ah, the perfect test of loyalty. How much was her lover worth to her? Her life? He reveled darkly in these beloved games of his.  
  
"Hai, Naraku-sama," came the inflectionless affirmative.  
  
"Kanna will be there to..._assist_ you." To watch you, monitor you, finish what you may not. The underlying message was clear to all three. "You are dismissed. Make the needed preparations. Leave before noon today."  
  
As he watched the two depart to commence arrangements for their mission, or rather for his clever little diversion, the sun began to peak over the vast, dead valley of his lands. He scowled. He hated sunrise, the symbolic new beginning of life, eradicating his destruction in its path just like that pesky rebellion faction. His mood darkened and his face became so black and savage with rage that the ever-present servants quivered from their posts at the sight.  
  
Deciding he needed to get his mind off of such depressingly good things, he thought he knew just what he needed. Never one to deny himself pleasures, he proceeded to the very end of his rooms. The last one, in the darkest corner of the house, the only room with no prying eyes and bumbling servants. Sliding the door shut behind him, he stepped into the dark embrace. Breathing out his malice.  
  
"Kikyo."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The early dawn hours found Sesshoumaru already up and pacing, treading a path through the green clearing. Caught up in his contemplations, he failed to detect the new presence that appeared through the surrounding foliage until a sweet voice floated up to his ears.  
  
"Sesshoumaru."  
  
He knew it was SHE before he even turned. The owner of said voice had plagued his thoughts throughout the restless night. He just could not determine what to make of her. Was she the passionate heroine or the manipulative shrew? Both? Neither? His thoughts once again began to circle without disentangling any of the impossibly knotted matter of his intellect. He shook himself so that he could examine the girl's actions more scrupulously.  
  
Kagome fleetingly cringed under the onslaught of heavy gold before recollecting herself and visibly straightening, tall and proud, exuding a confidence she did not feel. One thought echoed within her. This was all her mother's fault.  
  
It was her mother's fault for instilling good manners in her when all others, including the lord before her, especially him, seemed to have forgotten even the existence of such a pretense. It was these manners that had kept her up and wretched with guilt until she decided to search out the pompous lord and thank him as her conscience stated she must...and to apologize. For what, she still, after being plagued for hours, didn't know. She felt as though she had betrayed him by going to Kouga with her plans for an alliance, and yet why should she. She had approached Sesshoumaru first, and he had rejected the idea...probably just to spite her for being a woman, to put her in her place. And _what_ was with his derogatory attitude for _all_ things female. Yet, still, the remorse persisted. She felt the growing guilt of having disappointed someone, deliberately or not.  
  
Sesshoumaru found himself fascinated by the progressive emotions displayed upon her face. His curiosity grew as the wench seemed to go from meek, to shamefaced, to fuming AND guilty. What could possibly enrage her yet make her look so culpable? Remarking how the angry flush spread throughout her cheeks, prettily highlighting her features, he determined she was decidedly pretty when filled with self-righteous indignation. He watched on as she heaved a sigh that seemed to deflate her and release all her frustration as she composed herself.  
  
"Thank-you."  
  
Whatever the Lord had anticipated out of those small, full, rosebud lips, THAT had not been it. One eyebrow rose of its own accord, showing his not unpleasant surprise.  
  
Kagome held to the hope that her contritely voiced gratitude would relieve her need to apologize. When the white brow went up, she knew it was not to be. Just great, he wanted the vocal apology, too.  
  
"...and I...apologize."  
  
Now Sesshoumaru was utterly befuddled as displayed by his other brow joining the first in altitude. What nonsense was the chit spouting now? Not that he wouldn't accept an apology since she had much to apologize for. About time she realized that he is always right. A pleased grin split his normally straight-lined lips, if it could indeed be called a grin, that brief upward twitch of his mouth. Unfortunately, then the girl continued.  
  
"I apologize for any discomfort or awkwardness you may have felt upon Kouga's approaching you with the proposal of an alliance. In truth, it was my idea, as you no doubt knew. But I felt it was a very important strategic move, necessary to start amassing a coup against Naraku."  
  
The whelp had not been apologizing for not deferring to Sesshoumaru's judgment as he had automatically assumed. Even as she was apologizing for his discomfort - not that he had felt any - she was still proud and firm in her belief that everything was done for the best. Sesshoumaru never knew it was possible to apologize sincerely and yet regret nothing. What use was an apology for all the wrong reasons? Who cared about his feelings? She should have been apologizing as an acknowledgement of his superiority over her in everything.  
  
Kagome noted the displeasure mounting in his aura. He radiated resentment, even after she had apologized, too. He was more stuck-up than she had given him credit for. If he thought he could lord it over her, he had another thing coming. She told him just that.  
  
"If you think you can just lord it over me that I've displeased you, ever- revered _LORD_, think again! I truly am sorry that you may have felt any displeasure - "  
  
She was mocking him.  
  
"You have no need to concern yourself with the state of my emotions."  
  
The nerve of the creep. He cut her off! Why was she still here again? Oh yeah, her mother.  
  
"Then why are you upset with me just because I didn't listen to you about the alliance - "  
  
"My displeasure is not over your lack of deference for my opinion."  
  
Once again, he interrupted. Kagome's upper cheek muscle began to twitch due to the extreme strain of irritation coursing throughout her body. 'The stubborn, pig-headed mule!'  
  
"Why can't you just see that the alliance is necessary?!"  
  
"If I did not see it requisite to combine forces, I would not have agreed to it no matter how many idiots you sent to me."  
  
Startled out of her rage by this concession, Kagome gave pause before picking up again.  
  
"Then what the _Hell_ is it?"  
  
Realizing her mistaken slip of the tongue, a quick squeal consisting of equal parts exasperation and chagrin escaped from that delicately not-so- clean mouth of hers. Sensing her mortification and somewhat amused by the discharged sound, Sesshoumaru allowed the unruly incident to pass unnoticed and attempted to proceed with the subject matter at hand; however, upon finding he had nothing to state, he settled for looking unperturbed by the preceding events.  
  
'Leave the wench to figure out what she did wrong.'  
  
Had Kagome not known better, she would have sworn that, at the moment, the Western Lord looked like a spoilt brat of a child. His posture greatly resembled the one her younger brother often assumed when they got into some childish spat. Kagome could practically hear the lord sniffing whilst stating that if she couldn't see what she had done wrong to displease his _highness_, make that his hind-ness Kagome thought smugly, then the ass (pun intended) wasn't going to tell her. Add an emphatic "humph" here. With that, Kagome promptly erupted into a fit of giggles.  
  
Sesshoumaru became irate at this new turn of events. It seemed the wench was always laughing at him. He saw nothing particularly humorous with their discussion at the moment.  
  
'HUMPH!'  
  
Had Kagome heard that particularly eloquent sentiment, she would have graduated from lightly tinkling giggles to downright hearty guffaws. Lucky for Sesshoumaru, she didn't.  
  
"If you are quite done, there are issues to be discussed, plans to be made. But if you would rather laugh yourself into an early grave, I can handle all matters personally, perfectly, and efficiently."  
  
That did the trick. The gales of laughter quickly ceased as Kagome abruptly shut up.  
  
"You wish," was stated with such a smile as to gentle the would-be-rude-and- reprimanding comment into something more teasing. "Shall we work in your tent, my hut, or neutral ground?"  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. Now began the scheming.  
  
"Where is this 'neutral ground?'" he questioned, preparing for some sly answer that would attempt to catch him off guard.  
  
"Here, of course." Succinct and matter-of-factly to the point.  
  
Well, he was half right. Startled, but only temporarily so (of course), out of his wits, he gave an automatic response.  
  
"This clearing is fine."  
  
Now it was Kagome's turn to be startled. She had expected the control freak in him to demand that it take place in his tent where he would be more advantageously in control. Perhaps she had been wrong to judge so hastily...Why was he staring at her like that? Realizing that he was waiting for her response, she numbly nodded her head.  
  
"Alright. I'll just run back home and get my maps and battle plans that I drew up; you do the same. We'll meet back here in half an hour."  
  
Kagome noticed Sesshoumaru was about to put in his two-yen worth, so she scurried to prevent further argument by teasingly tossing the next comment behind her as she disappeared into the now sunlit forest.  
  
"Oh, and milord, I do believe you need to brush up on your idioms, your previous expression about laughing and graves...the saying is 'laugh yourself to death'."  
  
The look on the cad's face was indescribable and had Kagome cackling evilly to herself. The self-proclaimed impeccable Lord was scoffing. With an infuriating smirk donned upon her gleeful features, she pranced out of sight.  
  
'The nerve of that little chit.' That was as far as his rant got before another, more urgent thought caught him as what she said slowly processed. 'She has "battle plans?"'  
  
A groan was permitted even for the Great Western Lord Sesshoumaru in such situations.  
  
Sesshoumaru began to feel that familiar tension right between his eyes indicative of an incoming migraine from being surrounded by stupidly stubborn women who just didn't know her place. He was in no condition to detect his slip from plural to singular.  
  
~*~ end chapter four: sorry just doesn't cut it ~*~  
  
a/n: Welp...that's about it for this chapter. Not much happened in terms of moving the plot along. Does anyone else feel like this story is going too slow? I feel like I haven't really gotten anywhere with the story, but at the same time, I'm trying to develop the relationship between my protagonists...is it working? I'd love to get feedback about what's working and what's not, or any other suggestions for the story you might have. Oh yeah, I almost forgot...for all those who have been wondering about InuYasha, Miroku, and Sango, they'll be entering soon. InuYasha and Miroku will actually be appearing next chapter. OK, well, ja! 


	6. Road Trip

a/n: I'm back! Well, not really...I finally found time to update this chapter. Since it's been so long, I hope it lives up to your standards and is not too different in style. On a plus note, I finally hit the 10-page chapter mark! Hip-hip-hooray!  
  
disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't. Don't own any of the characters of Inuyasha. Just my story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
God Amongst Men  
  
.::.Chapter Five: Road Trip.::.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Patience is a virtue.  
  
Patience is a virtue.  
  
PATIENCE is a VIRTUE!  
  
For what had to be the nth time since this stratagem session, Kagome chanted this mantra to herself in a futile attempt to disperse her mounting irritation for the slab of rock beside her. It was the fifth time he'd suddenly drifted to la-la-land this afternoon. The first time, he blamed it on the distraction of her endless chatter, the second - the lack thereof, third time of hunger, and fourth of heat. Though she had not believed him for even a second, she had let it slide...but not this time, for at this rate Naraku would have finished his reign, died, and been six feet under for, oh, say about one hundred millennia before they got anywhere in their plans. Oh no, this time, she would get to the bottom of this.  
  
"What is it NOW?"  
  
The at once irked and irksome tone invaded his brooding senses. Even before he opened his mouth, she beat him.  
  
"If that's just going to be another one of your lame excuses, then can it. Either tell me the truth now or give me the pleasure of torturing it out of you. Makes little difference to me since I'll find out either way, only option number two sounds like SO much more fun, for me, that is unless you're a closet masochist."  
  
The well-deserved rebuke assaulted him with guilt. And guilt led to shame, one emotion he could never brook to feel. What had he to be shameful of? HE was not the one who came up with the harebrained 'plan' to build a fortress around the village overnight to protect against the impending armies. She had been so proud of her idea, too. Quite sad, really. How could he possibly have admired her prowess? It was nothing but dumb luck that the village remained. So, why had he felt a sliver of unease and discomfort, almost remorse, as he ruthlessly trampled the girl's innocently lethal strategy by stating that the plan was ludicrous? Not only would it take months to build, but a fortress merely walled in the village with no way of escape should the enemy break through, a perfect ground for a massacre. He failed not to point out every flaw in the plan, every thoughtless, idiotic nuance of the half-hatched scheme. After which, he smugly leveled the girl with his superiority. The girl just shrugged and asked what he would do. It infuriated him. She acted as if he was nothing, below her to react to any of his words, as if SHE were superior to HIM. Deciding to ignore her "closet masochist" implication, he refocused his attention on the problem nagging him at hand.  
  
"We are in need of assistance. There are not enough men to carry out our plan."  
  
And here came the question he dreaded.  
  
"Why not call Kouga back for help?"  
  
"His men are still recovering. To top it off, his scanty group of twenty would provide so little protection and help that the result would merely be an unwise depletion of provisions." It was the partial truth. Like Hell he would call that moron back after having just gotten rid of him and his womanizing ways.  
  
"Then what would you suggest, Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
  
He carefully scrutinized her face for any sign of mockery. She looked back in earnest fretfulness. Truthfully, he had already thought it all out. It was only a matter of how to present it to the vixen so that she would agree to the proposition without too much argument. It had quickly dawned upon him that more men were needed for any semblance of an offensive move to take place. This brought to surface Sesshoumaru's next concern. His pathetic, useless excuse of a brother had yet to arrive. Even accounting for his natural tendency toward tardiness and any minor skirmishes that may occur along the way, Inuyasha was beyond overdue to arrive. Though instinctively concerned and uneasy, logic told him that Inuyasha's troops were too strong to fall, and though rash, his brother was the best out there. Unfortunately these thoughts could not eradicate his uneasiness.  
  
Kagome felt irritation building at the Lord's lack of presence of mind at such a crucial time and had been about to jolt him back to earth with a very rude and obnoxiously demanding 'well?' when her natural sympathy for all living emotions helped her pick up on the tenseness of Sesshoumaru's shoulders. Automatically, she felt her intuition squirming and knotting within her stomach, a sure sign that something was amiss.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
The soft voice, almost a whisper in its apprehension, intruded upon his thoughts. Once again, he turned back to examine the girl's face. After confirming her lack of ridicule toward him, he prepared to proceed when he caught himself and thought the better of it. Opening his mouth to deny any problems, his mouth, as it tended to do recently, betrayed him. He found himself helpless to stifle the confession that flowed forth and out into the open, warm afternoon air.  
  
"Reinforcements should have arrived by now."  
  
"Reinforcements? By now...You mean you had undertook to help us even before seeing the condition we were in? Oh, thank-you so much."  
  
Confounded, he had not the heart to undeceive her when she was so earnest. Must the girl always assume the best of everyone. She had no common sense. Dumb girl. He was undeniably touched. No one had ever seen such goodness within him without proof that he wasn't a could-hearted bastard. Looking into those open, upturned eyes, his concerns continued to fight their way out of his usually very obedient mouth, except, it seemed, where she was concerned.  
  
"Inuyasha was to have led his troops here days ago."  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"My brother."  
  
"Oh...OH. I see."  
  
It was as if she did see. She understood his reluctance to voice out his growing anxiety that some mishap had left his brother dead somewhere in the dark, untamed forests.  
  
Unbidden, stifling images blazed across her mind...the sweltering heat pounding upon the green earth. The wilting flowers, the glassy stillness of the pond. The yellow disk of sun, a haze in the wavering afternoon sky. The crimson drops burned into her eyes, stains contrasted upon well-worn armor and impossibly white parchment. Dizziness. She felt the blackness creeping in upon her vision as the floodgate of emotions ruptured and overflowed. Kagome struggled to reign in the rampant emotions that always invaded her senses and then left nothing but the aftertaste of sour resentment and bitter anguish throughout her body. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from retching, she forced the words out, concentrating upon the situation at hand.  
  
"He is in trouble? Then we have to hurry. We must send assistance."  
  
"We will do nothing of the sort." Too busy contemplating the swift play of emotions upon the girl's face and what thoughts may have led to her current pallor, Sesshoumaru had merely responded absentmindedly and automatically in the negative.  
  
"What? Why not? Don't you even care that your BROTHER is in danger?" Only when the peeved expression conquered her countenance and flushed her wan face with righteous outrage did her questions register in the mind of the Western Lord.  
  
"There you go with the presumptions again." He congratulated himself for being quick on his feet and managing to blame the girl, as it was always her fault no matter the situation.  
  
"Huh?" was the eloquent response. Sighing hopelessly, the Lord elaborated.  
  
"I never said Inuyasha was in danger; though it is a possibility, I had merely remarked upon his lack of punctuality."  
  
Kagome stared incredulously at the cold lord. How could he be so careless?  
  
"What would you have us do, then?"  
  
"WE do nothing."  
  
"Pardon?" The girl was indignant. Good.  
  
"You shall remain here and make those grand speeches of yours to the adoring masses that were my troops and the villagers, while I shall depart with a small guard to scout out the situation."  
  
As she opened her mouth, Sesshoumaru prepared himself for the tedious task of persuading such a stubborn bundle of female that this was the best course of action.  
  
"Okay."  
  
He mentally stumbled over his prepared points.  
  
'What?'  
  
"What?"  
  
For once, Sesshoumaru's thoughts were in complete alignment with his actions.  
  
"I said 'okay,' fine, alright, I agree, very wel - "  
  
"I heard you the first time." Must she be so smug about catching him off guard? Having collected himself from the surprising ease with which the girl agreed, the steel of his personality reappeared. By some miracle, the girl seemed to finally have grasped who was in charge. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Sesshoumaru prepared to proceed with finishing the dictation of his plans. He should have known it was too easy. Somehow, it seemed the girl had picked up upon the strain of his thoughts and opened her mouth to set him straight.  
  
"Don't think that my easy concession upon this point means I won't give you Hell about your leadership when you get back. I just happen to believe family is too important a thing to bicker over. Hurry and find your brother. I have a bad...feeling...about all of this." Oh, great. She HAD to add that last part in. She knew she just asked for it; it didn't lessen her ire when he took the opening.  
  
The chit was ordering Him. Again. Deciding he'd had enough, he proceeded to mock her.  
  
"A 'feeling'?"  
  
Oooh! The insensitive jerk! She was trying to be kind and considerate and perfectly serious, but no. The infuriating man just could NOT leave well enough alone.  
  
"Yes. A Feeling, a hunch, an inkling. You know, instinct, those tingly things running up and down one's spine that normal people get when they know something's out of order. Perhaps feelings are beneath you, so I'll use a more sophisticated word for your benefit. A presentiment. Call it what you like. Heck, call it woman's intuition. I just know something's wrong, okay?! Why can't you just take my word for it? I've never been wrong before."  
  
"If you are quite finished with your tirade. First, I was merely asking about your feeling. No need to jump to conclusions, girl. Second, I believe that 'woman's intuition' is more generally used to refer to matters of the heart and concerning the opposite sex."  
  
He was mocking her again! He had clearly been provoking her before, yet he managed to turn things around. How did he always manage to twist her words so that everything ended up being her fault? 'Argh!'  
  
"I knew that!" she snapped back, hissing like an angry wet cat. She didn't miss the glimmer of a twinkle in those cold metallic orbs. It only irked her more. She tossed her farewell over her shoulder as she stomped out of the clearing. "I'll go make preparations for your departure." Suddenly turning and trudging backwards, "Don't worry. I'll take charge of everything until your return." With a decidedly impish grin on her face and a previously missing sprightly bounce to her step, Kagome disappeared into the foliage on the path back to town.  
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head. Such a child. Always having to get the last word.  
  
'How juvenile.'  
  
Fifty meters away, Kagome echoed very similar sentiments in her contemplation over the Lord of the Western Lands.  
  
'How infantile.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The village was in an uproar. Such dissension over a country simpleton of a woman.  
  
They were all smitten with her.  
  
So, here everybody stood, ready for departure, yet not leaving, arguing over whether the blasted chit was more needed with the village and troops or with the scouts. If it had been up to Sesshoumaru, the latter would not even be an option and thus there would not even be an issue to cause such migraine inducing pandemonium. Unfortunately, the ever inaccurate grapevine, the gossip source of information, had led the "volunteering" scouts to believe more up close and personal time would be available with the resident idol of a faction leader.  
  
Humph! That was a laugh. She wasn't even pretty.  
  
A flash of sparkling raven silk.  
  
Not THAT pretty, Sesshoumaru's mind quickly amended.  
  
Big doe-eyed sapphire jewels twinkling up at him.  
  
Sesshoumaru growled at his traitorous mind. That was beside the point. His men needed to start thinking with their OTHER heads. After all, the girl had no mind for logic.  
  
Although she did come up with innovative approaches to worn out situations, such as her now legendary uplifting, spirited speech.  
  
Quickly blockading his treacherous devil's advocate of a psyche from thinking any other foolish and pointless thoughts, Sesshoumaru's narrowed eyes followed the troublemaker about. She was clearly flustered by the turn of events. Obviously the rural girl had never set foot outside the province she so simply lived in. It was her whole existence. And she did not want to leave.  
  
Hm...  
  
He had decided.  
  
She would attend to him on his journey. Determined in his purpose, he stepped forward, effectively muting the cacophony of dissension previously swarming the air. As every eye remained riveted upon the Western Lord, he set forth his proclamation. Noting the way she cast her gaze upon him as though he were her only savior, his lower lip twitched. She was so certain he would never want nor allow for her to travel with his men. Locking his gaze upon her, he deliberately issued forth "the law".  
  
"Higurashi-san shall join the scouts on their rounds."  
  
Short and sweet. Straight to the point; just the way he liked it.  
  
Correction.  
  
By the way the girl jerked and stiffened in reaction, his crisp, direct diction had become the way he LOVED it.  
  
Kagome was stunned into silence.  
  
'The JERK!'  
  
How dare he do that to her! Her mouth opened to protest. Nothing came out.  
  
Sesshoumaru gloated over the fish imitation the girl had upon her face. The noiseless flapping of her usually noisy mouth an especially delightful pleasure. A small chuckle escaped.  
  
Kagome almost gasped. As it was, she stood gaping at the lord. He had just LAUGHED! All right, so it was more of a chuckle. But still. The point is that he found her dilemma humorous. The arrogant prick. Regaining her composure, she drew herself up to her full height, the whole whopping 5 feet 4 inches of it, in an attempt to command respect and presence. It was her patented classic, the regal pose. Next to him, hardly reaching his shoulders, she looked the part of a child playing pretend. 'Stupid effeminate man.' Growling lowly, Kagome turned to the townspeople amongst whom her family stood, rooted at the prospect of Kagome leaving the village. She smirked. That's right! Her family wouldn't let her down. They would never let her set foot outside if they were so paranoid about her visits to her clearing.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She stood waveringly, attempting to stare down the gargantuan giant of a beast. It's large, dull-brown irises bore into her skull as though she were nothing. Its endless mass of dark hair transforming into grasping, skeletal fingers, reaching toward her with every gust of wind. The swaying of its possessed tail ruthlessly dislodging and swatting the life out of the surrounding, poor, hapless gnats and flies.  
  
How had she gotten into this mess?  
  
To any onlooker, the scene would have been absurd.  
  
A girl.  
  
And a horse.  
  
At a standoff.  
  
To Kagome, the experience was terrifying. Before her stood the transportation device waiting to whisk her away from the familiar and into the unknown. She glanced/glared over at her deliriously pleased family standing beside the well-trodden path to bid farewell to their amazingly happy girl.  
  
Kagome sighed dejectedly.  
  
Really. Sometimes, she could not help but wonder if she were not the true guardian within this crazy family she called hers. She felt like the adult of the family; they could be so silly sometimes. The clearing of a throat broke Kagome's thoughts. Glancing to her left, she noticed the boy beside her (who had been trying to catch her attention for the past 30 minutes).  
  
Another sigh. This one of exasperation.  
  
Smiling kindly at the blissfully oblivious disruption, Kagome acknowledged the boy.  
  
"Hojo." The dazzled youth forgot everything but that beautiful smile directed towards her. Kagome kept her impatience in check. "Is there something I can do for you before I leave?"  
  
This question prompted Hojo's mind into action as he recalled the purpose of his presence.  
  
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Kagome-chan."  
  
Kagome started to become uneasy.  
  
"This being your first time out of the village, and all..."  
  
Her stomach felt queasy.  
  
"I can understand what you're going through. Leaving everything familiar behind...It's just like my first time leaving on that hunting expedition...Though hopefully it won't turn out to be as disastrous as that was, but that really wasn't my fault, Kagome-chan! How was I to know that you can't just point and shoot an arrow? No one told me you had to take time to AIM first and - "  
  
Registering the sack held in his left hand and the uselessly short and rusted piece of metal vaguely resembling a sword tied to his side, Kagome had a sinking feeling she knew exactly where this long tangent was intended to head. Deciding to speed the process along to what she knew would be inevitable, what with the inherent mule-headed tendencies of the male population, she quickly got to the point.  
  
"Hojo, you're going to come keep me company?"  
  
"Urk?" The disconcerted boy took a moment, then two, before he was able to get his bearings. "Yes. I'll escort and protect you, Kagome-chan! So you don't need to worry about anything, Ojii-sama." This last statement directed with a bow toward Kagome's beaming grandfather.  
  
And the trip just got worse.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Deceptively carefree laughter drifted upward, riding upon the gentle, cool breeze, through the sun dappled treetops, floating above to the clear blue sky. The sun shone merrily upon the peace filled forest, the day bright and welcoming, clinging to the last of summer, savoring one of the season's last days of warmth and beauty before the frost would chill and freeze the world for an eternity of winter.  
  
Sesshoumaru permitted himself a brief glance toward the disturbance only to turn away - grimacing with disgust at the scene that lay before him. That damn bitch didn't know how to keep to herself. Half his troops waited on her every whim - whole-heartedly at her service hand and foot. The other half had enough sense to conceal their admiration, but they still saved her the best of the meat, the wine, the tents, the sleep-gear, and the horses...'stupid dimwits.' But the one that irked him most was the BOY that nipped at her heels like an attention-starved puppy. The same one she seemed to dote over every second of the trip. Continuing on this line of thought, Sesshoumaru failed to notice how tightly his jaw was set and how deeply his fingers dug into the palm of his tightly clenched fist until the chit's gasp broke through his rambling.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
The concern that lay within her sapphire orbs nearly made him snarl in rage. He roughly pulled away from her surprisingly soft and gentle touch. For a backwater villager, the girl had the skin and touch of a noblewoman. Picking up his already brisk pace so that the girl had to half-trot, half- walk behind him. Satisfied with her mounting annoyance and exhaustion with the situation and the pace he set, Sesshoumaru smugly reveled in the fact that she hated horses so that it made it necessary for her to walk...That is until he took a cursory second look back and noted that damn puppy of a Hojo sidling up to Kagome and whispering into her ear...the content of which was easily evident by what followed. Kagome mounted her horse with Hojo holding the reins behind her to provide her with a false sense of security. Why had he let the kid come along?  
  
Damn.  
  
Later that night, after setting up camp in a small but scenic meadow, the little rag-tag group was gathered around the warmth of the fireplace. A chill wind from the north caused Sesshoumaru to pull the collar of his shirt tighter around his neck to keep out the autumn draft and shift closer toward the orange glow of welcome warmth. Glancing across the flickering flames, his marigold-fire lit eyes burned and narrowed at the casual arm draped across the wench's shoulders, the closeness of the two bodies, the seemingly lackadaisical touches, and the flirtatious giggles that continued to pound into his already throbbing head. He knew she'd bring more trouble than the pleasure of her pain and discomfort about leaving her familiar surroundings behind would be worth. She wasn't even upset anymore. If only she were still miserable; then, he wouldn't be the only one suffering from his ill-conceived plot.  
  
Damn It!  
  
Distractedly, he thought about how he seemed to be damning himself a lot since he met her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Finally.  
  
The lights were out.  
  
She thought they'd never go to bed...Jeez. And she was definitely not going another day without bathing. It was just simply disgusting, The Western Lord's men were sadly lacking in personal hygiene. After stumbling through thick sludge, occasional animal extracts, curtains upon curtains of gnats, cobwebs, and mosquitoes, and sweating from exertion and toil under the harsh light of day, one would think anybody exposed to such grueling factors would feel a more than compulsive urge to wash up. Yet, the first thing these men did when given time to rest was pull out their blankets and conk out. How could they even sleep with that smell? After a whole week of such torture, Kagome was determined. She would not be deterred by any ill-bred lords who may be lurking about outside, just waiting to catch her in the midst of her conspiracy for cleanliness. Shaking her head at her ridiculous imagination, she quickly gathered her spare clothes and her slither of soap and marched out her tent. Unfortunately, her imagination had not been far off from the mark. Not two steps out of her temporary haven, HIS voice assaulted her from behind.  
  
Jumping at the unexpected, disembodied voice, Kagome pivoted around and wildly scoured the darkness with frantic, unseeing eyes. When Sesshoumaru's silver head appeared from the shadows, Kagome grimaced.  
  
'Here it comes.'  
  
"Where were you going, wench?"  
  
He hadn't even bothered to hide the suspicion contained within his voice.  
  
That annoyed Kagome to no end.  
  
She chose not to answer.  
  
Two milliseconds later, her involuntary explanation tore from her mouth, escaping into the thickness of the night, while her mind cursed the burning golden rays that penetrated her soul in one glance.  
  
"I feel gross."  
  
If the girl thought that was an answer, he had just confirmed her ineptness. She was clearly daft. Kagome read his thoughts from expressionless eyes and scowled for two reasons. One: she had been in his company for too long if she could read him so easily. Two: he just HAD to embarrass her by making her confess out loud to him, the arrogant prick of a handsome lord.  
  
HANDSOME?  
  
Where had that come from? Sure, she was woman enough to admit that he was more than pleasing to the eye, but did her thoughts HAVE to betray her by inserting the fact when she least wanted to notice it: when she was frustrated with the stubborn, sadistic ass!  
  
Sesshoumaru found himself fascinated by the various shades of crimson the girl-turned-chameleon displayed every other second. So she did realize how utterly inadequate her answer to his question was. No. He had learned his lesson more than once with this spitfire - never misguidedly attempt to predict her actions. Things were NEVER as they appeared in her presence. A minute later, he learned just how right his evaluation of her was when she opened her mouth.  
  
"STOP staring at me like that! I am NOT daft! In fact, you are the one who is sadly lacking if you cannot even appreciate the value of personal hygiene. You would think a Great Lord such as yourself would have better habits than that, but having been in close quarters with all you men is simply disgusting. To go for a WEEK through plagues of all shapes, sizes, and consistencies, yet not once BATHE is unacceptable! It's a wonder you don't all catch something from each other and turn sickly, weak, and deformed with all the organisms and diseases coexisting with you all in your bodies!"  
  
With that diatribe finished, she whirled upon her heel and proceeded upon her path toward the wondrously cool, moonlit lake that awaited her, paying no mind to the half-bewildered, half-angry, and one hundred percent amused lord behind her. Even as she realized she had just offended the savior of her village, she refused to apologize or turn back. She was a woman on a mission, and she would not fail!  
  
The rustling of foliage behind her brought her back from her own little world where only the quest for cleanliness existed. She decided to get rid of the obtuse lord as quickly as possible. After all, there was that cool blue oblivion awaiting her.  
  
Unfortunately, he beat her to the punch.  
  
"You still have not answered my question."  
  
Forgetting her resolve to forego another tirade the moment his collected voice reached her ears, she exploded.  
  
"My God! Do I have to spell it out for you? I am not a traitor out for some sick rendezvous, understood?"  
  
Wow! She was really on a role! Even though this new found voice and courage stemmed from her unusually short fuse from days of grubbiness, she liked standing up to the much-to-high-and-mighty-lord Sesshoumaru.  
  
With that satisfying thought, she once again continued on her way.  
  
The rustling infuriated her. Thus explaining her extremely uncharacteristic boldness that would leave her blushing for days to come in his presence.  
  
She simply half turned to the lord, raised a brow, smiled seductively, and dropped the bomb.  
  
"Well, if you wanted to keep me warm as I wash up, you should have just said so."  
  
Finally, she was home free, if a little red.  
  
Sesshoumaru remained frozen in place.  
  
THAT had most certainly been unexpected.  
  
Even more unexpected was his reaction to her invitation. Sure, he knew she was being insincere. But he was a man, and she was beautiful. Yes, he admitted it now. He had no choice but to admit after his shameful reaction to her husky statement mere moments before.  
  
He needed to get out of the country. All this air was affecting his mind. Surely, back in his palace the little witch would be forgotten; he would be safe, untouchable.  
  
He ignored the faint lurching within his body.  
  
Closing his eyes, he proceeded to relax, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. Glancing up at the sky, he noted how late it had become. He also recalled the last time he had gazed at the sky in such a manner. He thought back to her comments.warmth and compassion? What an impractical, silly girl. There was nothing but cold, unyielding truth in the blackness before him.  
  
Beautiful in its brutality.  
  
"AH!"  
  
The scream rent through the air as though a knife through butter.  
  
He knew he should have followed, in spite of her wrath.  
  
She was nothing but trouble.  
  
Pounding heart, limbs ablaze, throwing caution to the wind as he burst through the last trees before the lake to get to the annoyance of a girl, he froze at the scene before him.  
  
Kagome sat in the water at the edge of the lake, fully clothed but soaked from head to toe, glaring up the end of a glinting blade hovering a hairsbreadth away from her delicate, ivory throat.  
  
Sesshoumaru took in the sight and promptly began to laugh. His deep, full chuckles startling the three out of their standstill.  
  
The two men turned, a collage of red, purple, and silver. The one holding the sword gawked at the sight of an older version of himself nearing convulsions. His companion merely allowed that all-knowing grin to encompass his face.  
  
Kagome scowled.  
  
Five beats later.  
  
"You JERK!"  
  
A lunge.  
  
The blade spun in the air as red and green tumbled to the forest floor.  
  
~*~ end chapter five: road trip ~*~  
  
a/n: I am so sorry that it took so long. I hate school...it's amazing what stress can do to your creativity. It obliterated mine. Anyway, I honestly don't know how long it will be until I can get another chapter out, so please be patient. Worst-case scenario: I can't update until after finals are over in December. No worries though. I will definitely finish this story. Now, having reassured all my wonderful readers of that fact...I'd like to say thank you to all those who reviewed and urged me. It kept me from becoming too lazy. ;op also, please let me know what you thought...having just come out of a writing slump I'm not so sure I'm over, I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter? Was it up to par? Were there scenes that just didn't flow or fit? Should I rewrite the chapter? I'm still not sure whether I like this chapter or not. Anyway, until next time! 


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